Wishful Thinking (Neck Deep album)
| Wishful Thinking | ||||
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| Studio album by Neck Deep | ||||
| Released | 14 January 2014 | |||
| Recorded | March – August 2013, Celestial Recordings, Wrexham; Outhouse Studio, Reading |
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| Genre | Pop punk | |||
| Length | 34:27 | |||
| Label | Hopeless | |||
| Producer | Seb Barlow, Neck Deep | |||
| Neck Deep chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wishful Thinking | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk |    |
| AllMusic |    |
| Alternative Press | |
| Kerrang! |   |
Wishful Thinking is the debut studio album by Welsh pop punk band Neck Deep. Vocalist Ben Barlow met guitarist Lloyd Roberts when Roberts was working with Barlow's brother, Seb. Following the upload of a song under the artist name Neck Deep, the song gained attention. This attention resulted in the duo obtaining guitarist Matt West, drummer Dani Washington and bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans. The band released two EPs, Rain in July (2012) and A History of Bad Decisions. In March 2013 the band started recording material at Celestial Recordings, in Wrexham, where they recorded guitar, bass and vocals. The group then moved to Outhouse Studio, in Reading, where they recorded drums. Material was produced by Seb Barlow and the band. In mid-August, the group had signed to Hopeless, and by late August, they announced the album had been had finished.
"Crushing Grief (No Remedy)" was released as a single in October 2013. Following this the band toured the UK and Australia. "Growing Pains" was released as a single in December. In early January 2014 Wishful Thinking was made available for streaming, and the group went on a headlining tour of the UK. The album was released a week after the stream. The success of the album resulted in the band moved from a "fun, part-time [entity]", as Barlow called it, to a full-time thing. Also due to the success, Thorpe-Evans, West and Roberts quit their jobs, Washington turned down a place at the Academy of Contemporary Music, and Barlow dropped out of university. "Losing Teeth" was released as a single in July.
Vocalist Ben Barlow met guitarist Lloyd Roberts when Barlow's older brother, Seb, was recording the Wrexham hardcore band Spires that Roberts played in. At the time Barlow wrote pop punk songs for fun. The duo posted the song "What Did You Expect?" online under the name Neck Deep. According to Roberts Barlow "literally said, 'What about Neck Deep [as the band name]?' and that was that." "What Did You Expect?" soon gained attention online. This resulted in the duo adding guitarist Matt West, who also played in Spires, and drummer Dani Washington, who was aware of Wrexham's local music scene. Bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans joined shortly after leaving Lincoln post-hardcore band Climates. The band recorded more songs with Seb Barlow in the attic of Ben's home. The band released an EP, Rain in July, in September 2012, which gained the band even more attention from people. According to Barlow, "People took notice and demanded that we play shows."
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