Neck Deep is Neck Deep dialed to eleven – a tour de force that bottles everything they've excelled at throughout their career, shakes it up, then uncorks it and lets it explode all over you.

Neck Deep's current philosophy can be summed up in three words: "Don't Overthink it." The songs on their latest album are unabashedly fun, a departure from taking themselves too seriously. Ben Barlow, the band's frontman, reveals the DIY ethos behind the album, stating, "We’ve pretty much built this record from the ground up with little to no outside help. By that factor alone, it's the most Neck Deep record there's ever been." The band, having taken charge of 90% of the production and recording themselves, harks back to the spirit of their debut, Wishful Thinking.

From the frenetic energy of "Dumbstruck, Dumbf**k" to the raw intensity of "Sort Yourself Out" and the introspection of "They Don’t Mean To (But They Do)," the album delivers a diverse array of songs and emotions, each catering to different moods and moments. They even provide a musical companion piece for impending alien invasion with the aptly titled "Take Me With You." Neck Deep, it seems, has a song for almost any occasion, even the other-worldly ones.

In the little over a decade since the band's formation in the Barlow brothers' spare room, their trajectory has been meteoric (like a UFO, you could say). What began as scrappy, naively hopeful beginnings evolved into a voyage marked by top five records in both the US and UK, global touring, viral hits, and over a billion plays.

With all this happening, the band reflects on the changes, acknowledging that while much has evolved, some things – at least in some ways – remain the same. Eschewing the allure of A-list collaborators and renowned producers, Neck Deep opted for a different path. They returned to their roots, writing and recording in their own warehouse space, just miles from where it all began. This old-school approach, a nod to the days when bands built their sound from the ground up, permeates Neck Deep, proving that sometimes, the best way forward is a trip back to the basics.