Coming up on its 10-year release anniversary, “Life’s Not Out to Get You” by Neck Deep is still one of the greatest pop punk records ever.
The band has released three albums since this one, and though their most recent self-titled album came extremely close, nothing since “Life’s Not Out to Get You” has matched its perfectly poppy, punky tracks.
The record has an overall theme of optimism and positivity, even becoming inspirational at some points, which is such a refreshing take on a genre of music that tends to be filled with overbearing and unnecessary amounts of angst and rebellion.
Rather than the cliches of hating your hometown and wishing that things in your life would stop being so difficult, lead vocalist Ben Barlow’s lyrics opt for the exact opposite: admiration for his home and what his future holds.
It’s not just the lyrics that make this record stand out, though. Guitarists Matt West and Sam Bowden wisely stray away from the basic riffs and straightforward rhythms that cause a lot of other music of the same genre to fall flat.
Meanwhile, drummer Dani Washington, whose drumming is the standout musical element of the album for me, uses the techniques and intricacies of progressive and metal drumming to help each track stand out from the sea of basic punk beats found on many similar records at the time.
“Citizens of Earth”is somewhat of a call to action for the listeners, in which Barlow encourages them to ignore the opinions of everyone else and live their lives the way that will be the best for them, even if that means making some changes.
This song is the most aggressive song on the record with the constant palm muting on the guitars and the fast, snare-heavy drumbeats feeling almost like a welcomed assault to the senses.
“Threat Level Midnight”is nothing special musically, apart from some interesting lead guitar lines and the exceptionally impressive drumming from Washington. This song is simply a fun, bouncy track about wanting things to change in your life.
It’s a good song, but compared to every other song on the album, it’s the weakest one.
“Can’t Kick Up the Roots” is the song the band is known for; it’s their biggest hit for good reason, and it’s the best song on the record. This song is perfect.
The lead and rhythm guitars play so well together, with the main riffs being almost like a call and response. They then come together in the verse and pre-chorus to build up tension that is released in what I believe to be one of the catchiest choruses of all time.
The drumming is some of the simplest on the album but also some of the grooviest thanks to all the ghost notes and interesting accents.
Barlow sings about his love for his hometown, reminiscing on all of the memories and good times he’s had, even admitting that it’s a town where people go to settle down and “decay,” but he loves it for that reason.
The bridge brings the aggression into what is overall a pretty poppy song, and the abrupt ending feels like the most fit ending to the burst of energy that the song embodies.
“Kali Ma” and “Serpents” feel like sister-songs to me, as the titles, respectively, are references to the goddess of death and a notoriously evil, dishonest animal. In both songs, Barlow is singing about a woman that he used to have love for who hurt him in quite a harsh, malicious way, warning the listener to beware of her or others like her.
“Kali Ma” is the much more melodic of the two while “Serpents” is faster and more focused on aggressive rhythms, leaving these songs with both a feeling of similarity, and of being exact opposites.
“Gold Steps” is my personal favorite track on the record and has a meaning that resonates so strongly with me that I get chills with every listen. In this song, Barlow is ensuring the listener there is always a way to get back up once you’ve fallen and that no obstacle is too great to overcome.
With lyrics like “sometimes things will bend you / but trust me you'll be fine / because I've been moving mountains / that I once had to climb” and “life's not out to get you / despite the things you've been through / because what you give is what you get / and it doesn't make sense to make do,” it’s obvious this is an effort to remind the listener that there has never been a problem that is unsolvable with enough work.
“Lime St.” and “I Hope this Comes Back to Haunt You” are both full of punchy melodies and bouncy drums that make them extremely fun to dance and jump around to, though neither one of them has any lyrics that hit particularly hard, and this far into the album the sound becomes a little monotonous.
“December” is a beautifully tragic heartbreak song accompanied by an acoustic guitar rather than electric instruments and booming drums, making it a perfect break near the end of the album.
Though neither one was released as a single, “The Beach is For Lovers” and “Smooth Seas Don't Make Good Sailors” are both insanely catchy, and the use of space and emptiness in the instrumentation gives them both a groove and a rhythm that is undeniable. This creates a few of the best moments on the album.
“Rock Bottom”is a solid end to the record, with themes of starting over after tragedy or failure and some of the coolest instrumentation moments on the whole record like the bassline solo beginning or the layered vocals at the end.
Overall, there are very few misses on this record, certainly more highs than lows, and even the worst songs of the bunch are fun to listen to if they happen to come on.
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