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Rain in July

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Rain in July
EP by
Neck Deep
Released18 September 2012 (2012-09-18)
RecordedJuly 2012,
Celestial Recordings, Wrexham
GenrePop punk • emo
Length16:42
LabelWe Are Triumphant
ProducerSebastian Barlow
Neck Deep chronology
Rain in July
(2012) 		A History of Bad Decisions
(2013)

Rain in July is the first EP by Welsh pop punk band Neck Deep.

Background and production

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Vocalist Ben Barlow met lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts when Barlow's older brother, Seb, was recording the Wrexham hardcore band Spires that Roberts played in.[1] At the time, Ben Barlow wrote pop punk songs on his own for fun.[1] On 19 April 2012[2] the duo posted the song "What Did You Expect?" online under the name Neck Deep.[1] According to Roberts, Barlow "literally said, 'What about Neck Deep [as the band name]?' and that was that."[1] The name comes from the Crucial Dudes' song "Boom, Roasted".[3] "What Did You Expect?" soon gained attention online.[1]

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.[1] Bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans joined shortly after leaving Lincoln post-hardcore band Climates.[1] "I Couldn't Wait to Leave 6 Months Ago " was posted online on 8 June.[4] On 11 June, it was announced the band had signed to US label We Are Triumphant.[5] In July,[6] the band recorded more songs with Seb Barlow in the attic of Ben's home,[1] dubbed Celestial Recordings.[6] The recordings were then mixed by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtletone Studios.[6] The EP contains "six songs about girls and one song about posers", according to Rock Sound's Ollie Pelling.[7] Barlow wrote "A Part of Me" when he was 16 "about a girl who I was crazy about."[8]

Release and reception

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Rain in July was made available for streaming via AbsolutePunk on 17 September 2012 and was released a day later[9] through We Are Triumphant. Barlow dubbed the character on the artwork Ned the Head.[10] The band's sound has elements of The Story So Far and City Lights.[9] On 28 October, a music video was released for "I Couldn’t Wait to Leave 6 Months Ago".[11] In November, the EP was released on vinyl via Hang Tight.[12] According to Barlow, "People took notice [of the band] and demanded that we play shows."[1] The band supported With the Punches and Me Vs Hero in the UK in December.[12] The 3 December date of tour was the band's live debut.[13] On 20 January 2013 a music video was released for "Over and Over".[14]

The EP was remixed and remastered as part of the compilation Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions, released on Hopeless on 17 June 2014.[15] It was released to capitalize on the band's popularity at the time.[16] Barlow said that this compilation would be "definitive release of [these] songs".[17] The band hoped that the new fans that enjoyed Wishful Thinking "will enjoy the chance to check these songs out now that we've had a chance to improve how they sound!"[17]

Rock Sound reviewer Ollie Pelling wrote that despite "looking distinctly average on paper, Neck Deep are more than distinctly average."[7] He mentioned that listeners "won't find many bands writing better pop-punk hooks".[7] He ended with calling the EP "derivative, but there's enough passion, energy and talent here to make it count."[7]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Neck Deep[6]

No.TitleLength
1."Kick It"1:34
2."Silver Lining"2:43
3."What Did You Expect?"3:17
4."Over and Over"2:55
5."A Part of Me (feat. Laura Whiteside)"3:09
6."I Couldn't Wait to Leave 6 Months Ago"2:22
7."All Hype, No Heart"0:42

Personnel

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Personnel adapted from the booklet/sleeve of the Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions compilation.[6][18]

References

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Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bird 2014, p. 59
  2. ^ "What Did You Expect? - Neck Deep". Neck Deep. 19 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  3. ^ McMahon, ed. 2014, p. 24
  4. ^ "I Couldn't Wait to Leave 6 Months Ago - Neck Deep". Neck Deep. 8 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Neck Deep Media - Signing Announcement :: We Are Triumphant Records Sign Neck Deep". neckdeepmedia.com. 11 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions (Sleeve). Neck Deep. Hopeless. 2014. HR795-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ a b c d Pelling 2013, p. 84
  8. ^ Barlow 2016, p. 63
  9. ^ a b Wagner, Christian (17 September 2012). "Featured Stream: Neck Deep EP". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on 3 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  10. ^ McMahon ed. 2017, p. 42
  11. ^ Kraus, Brian (28 October 2012). "Neck Deep release video for "I Couldn't Wait To Leave 6 Months Ago"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  12. ^ a b Kraus, Brian (5 November 2012). "Neck Deep releasing 'Rain In July' on vinyl, announce UK dates". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  13. ^ Bird 2014, p. 60
  14. ^ Kraus, Brian (20 January 2013). "Neck Deep release video for "Over And Over"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  15. ^ Bear, Alex (12 May 2014). "Neck Deep to re-release 'Rain In July' and 'A History of Bad Decisions'". idobi.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  16. ^ BenG (21 July 2014). "Review: Neck Deep - Rain In July / A History Of Bad Decisions (Album)". AltSounds. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Neck Deep reissuing EPs as album". bigcheesemagazine.com. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  18. ^ Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions (Booklet). Neck Deep. Hopeless. 2014. HR795-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Sources
  • Barlow, Ben (20 February 2016). McMahon, James (ed.). "The Ultimate Rockstar Test: Ben Barlow". Kerrang! (1607). London: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 0262-6624.
  • Bird, Ryan (September 2014). Bird, Ryan (ed.). "Smokin' Aces". Rock Sound (191). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
  • McMahon, James, ed. (26 July 2014). "Always Meet Your Heroes!". Kerrang! (1527). London: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 0262-6624.
  • McMahon, James, ed. (12 August 2017). "Deep Impact". Kerrang! (1683). London: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 0262-6624.
  • Pelling, Ollie (April 2013). Patashnik, Ben (ed.). "Reviews". Rock Sound (172). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
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