The Peace and the Panic
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''The Peace and the Panic'' is the third studio album by Welsh
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
band
Neck Deep Neck Deep are a Welsh pop punk band from Wrexham, Wales formed in 2012. Founded after vocalist Ben Barlow met former lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts, the pair posted a song ("What Did You Expect?") online under the name Neck Deep. The song soon ga ...
. After the release of '' Life's Not out to Get You'' in mid-2015, guitarist Lloyd Roberts left the group and was replaced by Sam Bowden of
Blood Youth Blood Youth are an English hardcore punk band formed in Harrogate in 2014. They have released three studio albums, two EPs and a short-form documentary produced by Kerrang!. The current line-up consists of guitarist Chris Pritchard, bassist Matt ...
/
Climates Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
. The group planned to work on material for their follow-up album by the end of the year, though were unable due to tour commitments. In June 2016, the band went on a two-week writing retreat in Wales, creating 40 song drafts in the process. At the end of the year, vocalist Ben Barlow said the group had around 30 demos and two completed songs. Following a support slot for
A Day to Remember A Day to Remember (often abbreviated ADTR, and previously known as End of an Era) is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida, founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denney and drummer Bobby Scruggs. They are known for their amalgamation of meta ...
in early 2017, the band began recording ''The Peace and the Panic'' in March and April in Los Angeles, California. Mike Green produced the album with assistance from engineers Will McCoy and Colin Schwanke. Most of the album was mixed by
Neal Avron Neal Avron (born December 31, 1965) is an American record producer, mixer, audio engineer, and musician. Working predominantly in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Eve ...
, while Green mixed three of the songs. The album's theme is showing how the band has grown in the period following the release of ''Life's Not out to Get You''. The album's songs were written by a combination of the band, Mike Green and Ben Barlow's brother Sebastian. Sam Carter of
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, Laura Whiteside, and Ella, Evie, Finlay and Darcy Jones provide vocals to different tracks. Barlow said the main part of the album's artwork is about "being on a tightrope between 'The Peace' and 'The Panic' – trying to find the balance between the good and the bad". After two teasers, as well as a support slot for
All Time Low All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band too ...
, ''The Peace and the Panic'' was formally announced, and music videos were released for "Where Do We Go When We Go" and "Happy Judgement Day". Following performances at
Slam Dunk Festival Slam Dunk Records or Slam Dunk Music is a British independent record label, promoter and concert organising company, founded in Leeds, England, in 2007. Some notable signees include You Me at Six and Decade. The label evolved from "Slam Dunk", a ...
in the UK and
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
in the US, music videos were released for "Motion Sickness" and "In Bloom". ''The Peace and the Panic'' was then released on 18 August through independent label
Hopeless Records Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California. History Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...
.


Background

In August 2015, Neck Deep released their second album, '' Life's Not out to Get You'', which reached the top 10 in the UK. Shortly afterwards, guitarist Lloyd Roberts left the band as allegations were made that he had sent an underage fan explicit messages. Roberts went through an investigation with
North Wales Police North Wales Police ( cy, Heddlu Gogledd Cymru) is the territorial police force responsible for policing North Wales. Its headquarters are in Colwyn Bay. , the force has 1,510 police officers, 170 special constables, 182 police community support ...
, who subsequently "found no case for me to answer" and closed the investigation. Despite this, Roberts was replaced by Sam Bowden,McMahon ed. 2017, p. 40 though he was not made an official member until later in the year. Bowden was working as a guitar tech for the band, in between playing in
Blood Youth Blood Youth are an English hardcore punk band formed in Harrogate in 2014. They have released three studio albums, two EPs and a short-form documentary produced by Kerrang!. The current line-up consists of guitarist Chris Pritchard, bassist Matt ...
and
Climates Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
.McLaughlin 2017, p. 60 In mid-October, while on tour in the US, Barlow received news that his dad was in hospital. When he got to an airport to fly home, his dad had died. While mourning, Barlow toyed with an idea for a song that would later become "19 Seventy Sumthin'".McLaughlin 2017, p. 62 At the end of the year, the band planned to work on material for their next album. However, tour commitments kept them from doing so. In June 2016, the band posted a picture of what was presumed to be vocalist Ben Barlow and guitarist Matt West working on new music. It was later revealed that this was a writing retreat at
Monnow Valley Studio Monnow Valley Studio is a recording studio in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. History In the 1970s, Monnow Valley was the rehearsal facility of the famous Rockfield Studios. It became an independent studio in the 1980s owned by Charles Ward after ...
in Wales. The retreat lasted for two weeks with Barlow's brother Sebastian in attendance. Barlow said the first week was very productive, while saying the second week "wasn’t productive ''at all''", only managing to come up with two songs from that week. Eventually, the band made rough drafts of close to 40 songs. In an interview in December 2016, Barlow said the band had been "working on heir third albumfor a long time already, but the real work is not too far away". In addition, he revealed that the band had around 30 demos and two finished songs.


Recording

After supporting
A Day to Remember A Day to Remember (often abbreviated ADTR, and previously known as End of an Era) is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida, founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denney and drummer Bobby Scruggs. They are known for their amalgamation of meta ...
in the UK and Europe in January and February 2017, the band entered the recording studio to track their next album.McMahon ed. 2016, p. 38 Recording took place in Los Angeles, California with producer Mike Green. Green was assisted by engineers Will McCoy and Colin Schwanke. Thorpe-Evans called Green "a proper musical genius", saying he was "super focused – like a laser – and it made us feel really professional". Green helped push the band on structuring their songs. Barlow mentioned that they had "a tendency to ramble in our songwriting; he stripped that back and he really made us think about every part of our songs." Bowden said the band had a lot of "solid ideas that within the first week we knew, 'Okay, this is going to be sick, let’s chill'" and that they "pretty much blasted a song a day". After two months of recording, the band announced that the album was finished on 5 April. Upon leaving the studio, the band felt more accomplished as a group than when they first entered the studio.
Neal Avron Neal Avron (born December 31, 1965) is an American record producer, mixer, audio engineer, and musician. Working predominantly in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Eve ...
mixed the majority of the album, except for "The Grand Delusion", "Beautiful Madness" and "Worth It", which were mixed by Green. Barlow said Avron gave the album a "rock-heavy feel and mix".
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...
mastered the album.


Composition


Overview

The theme behind the album is about how the band has grown in the two years following ''Life's Not out to Get You''. When the band were writing the latter album, they were going through what Barlow calls "a period of uninterrupted happiness". After touring that album, Barlow said that he re-evaluated "what life is about and questioned whether just having a positive outlook is enough". Barlow said the album has a lot to offer "people who think they don't like eck Deep. Mentioning "Don't Wait" and "Parachute", Barlow said they "left ourselves some open doors that we can explore
n the future N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
. With the album, Barlow said it was "time to get a bit more real" with their fans. He added that there was "things in life that you can't avoid – like sadness, failure, anxiety and death – but it's coming to that realisation that's changed me personally, and us as a band". Instead of solely writing 10–14 songs, the band were constantly writing for their third album. Barlow reasoned that "you might always find something better, and you might have an idea out of nothing". Barlow viewed the album as more of a collaborative effort with every member of the band writing material. He was hoping this would "produce some different results, but in the best possible way". Barlow's brother Sebastian, who had co-wrote the majority of the tracks on ''Life's Not out to Get You'', was "really involved this time" contributing a lot of ideas.Doyle 2017, p. 64 Barlow mentioned that he wrote two songs on guitar, which was "quite new for me". The majority of the lyrics on the album were written by Barlow. In addition, Barlow and Thorpe-Evans co-wrote lyrics to "Wish You Were Here".


Songs

"Motion Sickness" and "Parachute" were credited to Neck Deep, Green and Sebastian Barlow. "Happy Judgement Day", "The Grand Delusion", "19 Seventy Sumthin'" and "Beautiful Madness" were credited to Neck Deep and Green. "In Bloom", "Heavy Lies" and "Where Do We Go When We Go" were credited to Neck Deep and Barlow. "Don't Wait", "Critical Mistake", "Wish You Were Here" and "Worth It" were credited to Neck Deep. Sam Carter of
Architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
provides guest vocals on "Don't Wait". The intro vocals on "Where Do We Go When We Go" were performed by Ella, Evie, Finlay and Darcy Jones. Laura Whiteside provides the intro to "Critical Mistake". "Motion Sickness" originally existed as "a demo idea we’d had sitting around for ages", according to Ben Barlow. His brother "had the idea of having the super-punchy, stabby chorus". He said the track "bridges the vibe and lyrical message" of ''Life's Not out to Get You'' to ''The Peace and the Panic'' and is the track most reminiscent of their previous material. He added that, like the majority of the album, the song features the theme of "duality; the verses are about confusion and struggle, but the choruses are about not giving up, not letting hard times get the best of you." "Happy Judgement Day" came out from a riff that Green played the band in the studio. As soon as the group heard it, they exclaimed "That’s sick – let’s ''instantly'' make that into a song". The song talks about the current state of society and politics. Barlow said he wrote the track because he wanted to write "something that was ... important, that gets people to care about the right things, and maybe look at themselves more critically".McMahon ed. 2017, p. 41 "The Grand Delusion" was one of the last tracks written for the album. It was the result of a riff that Green had, which the band "Neck Deep-ified it", according to Barlow. Discussing the track, Barlow said "There have been times where I've wished I didn't have this pressure on me, and that I was a normal person".McMahon ed. 2017, p. 42 "Parachute" started out as a demo under the name "Britpop". Barlow said the group wanted the track "to have a massive festival feel" to it. "In Bloom" was the first track written for the album, written around six months following the release of ''Life's Not Out to Get You''. Barlow said the song "kickstarted the whole creative process". It started out as an acoustic song, before eventually becoming a full-band track. Barlow said it "set the bar and tone" for the remainder of the album. He added that it was "pretty down-tempo for us, yet it builds and climaxes in one of my favourite arrangements we’ve ever created". Barlow considers it "unique" as it contains an instrumental middle 8 section, something the group had not done before. He explained that they intentionally left it as an instrumental so that people could "dance and ''feel'' the song." "Don't Wait", which was written by drummer Dani Washington, was viewed by Barlow a "more of a political song" than "Happy Judgement Day". The group initially turned down the idea of having guest musicians, "but later we were sat in the studio and I had the brainwave of having Sam Carter. He really put his stamp on it." The majority of lyrics on "Critical Mistake" were written by bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans. Barlow originally sent him an acoustic version of the track with a "driving chorus that we all liked". His brother "being the wizard that he is" turned it into a full-band track with a
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
feel to it, something that "we definitely wanted to touch upon". With assistance from Barlow, Thorpe-Evans wrote "Wish You Were Here" about a friend who had died following a car crash. Thorpe-Evans said he "really struggled dealing with those things ... even talking about it with family is really hard". He did, however, find it easier to write about it in a song "because you can say what you want to say properly and decide what matters most". Thorpe-Evans wrote the music, as well as the verses, while Barlow wrote the chorus. While working on "Heavy Lies" in the studio, Sebastian Barlow went out to get coffee. By the time he returned, Ben Barlow and Bowden wrote a chorus for the track. Barlow said they the group had a "tendency to be very wordy, so it was satisfying to have a chorus that was simple and effective". "19 Seventy Sumthin'", which was written on the group's tour with A Day to Remember, details the story from how Barlow's parents got together until his father's death. Barlow, who was "having a moment", picked up a guitar and "As soon as I sang the first couple of lyrics, I knew it was going to be something special". Barlow said writing it felt like "the best therapy. That was the song I felt I had to write and it was going to come out of me at some point. I wanted to make sure I got it absolutely right." "Where Do We Go When We Go" was written in Sebastian Barlow's room. He was trying to come up with "ways to make a chorus more interesting", according to Ben Barlow. Usually, the chorus is "this big, bouncy ‘moment’", however, Sebastian "wanted to make the verses super-drive-y, and the chorus take a step back" according to Ben. Barlow said it "summarizes our mood well. Very directly, the message is: “Fuck all this shit, fuck all the noise, let’s just make something of ourselves before our time is up.”"


Artwork

The illustration and design was created by Ryan Besch. According to Barlow, the main part of the artwork shows "being on a tightrope between 'The Peace' and 'The Panic' – trying to find the balance between the good and the bad". Barlow said this was a reference to "The Grand Delusion", as well as "The Grand Delusion Hotel ... more explicit reference to the song". Barlow mentioned there were references to their past work, specifically naming Ned's Diner, which refers to Ned the Head, the character on the artwork of the ''
Rain in July ''Rain in July'' is the first EP by Welsh pop punk band Neck Deep. Background and production Vocalist Ben Barlow met lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts when Barlow's older brother, Seb, was recording the Wrexham hardcore band Spires that Roberts playe ...
'' (2012) EP. In addition, Barlow said they've had a character on each of their releases: the aforementioned Ned, a saber-toothed tiger on the ''
A History of Bad Decisions ''A History of Bad Decisions'' is the second EP by Welsh pop punk band Neck Deep, released 19 February 2013, following up their first EP ''Rain in July''. Background and production Vocalist Ben Barlow met guitarist Lloyd Roberts when Barlow's olde ...
'' (2013) EP, Zoltar on ''
Wishful Thinking Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire. Methodologies to examine wishful think ...
'' (2014) "and now... ''this guy''", referring to the man on the artwork. He added, "I think we've personally decided that this guy is also Ned". A logo for the fictional label Terry Barlow Records is featured on the artwork. Barlow said that including it on the artwork "is sick! Obviously ''actual'' record labels want to be represented on your album artwork, but we said, 'Hey now, this is something personal,' and we fought for it".


Release

On 25 April 2017, in a Facebook post, the band said their next phase would begin "real soon". In addition, they posted a tweet for what was presumed to be a video shoot. In mid-May, the band supported
All Time Low All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band too ...
on their tour of Australia. On 19 May, the band posted a teaser video with the caption "THEPANIC". Two days later, ''The Peace and the Panic'' was announced for release in August. The album's track listing and artwork was revealed, and music videos for "Where Do We Go When We Go" and "Happy Judgement Day" were released. "Where Do We Go When We Go" was directed by Anthem Films, while "Happy Judgement Day" was directed by Dan Fusselman. Ashley Laderer of ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' said the "Happy Judgement Day" video featured "Uniformed students cut loose, dance and throw papers as the band turns the class snooze-fest into a banger." The following week, the band performed at
Slam Dunk Festival Slam Dunk Records or Slam Dunk Music is a British independent record label, promoter and concert organising company, founded in Leeds, England, in 2007. Some notable signees include You Me at Six and Decade. The label evolved from "Slam Dunk", a ...
. Between mid-June and early August, the band performed on the Journey's Right Foot Stage at
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
. On 12 July, a music video was released for "Motion Sickness". The video, which was directed by Elliott Ingham, was filmed while the album was being recorded and features footage from Slam Dunk Festival. The band said that while the song was "so upbeat and energetic", they did not want the video to be "too serious, so we just hung out on our days off from the studio and stitched all the footage together." On 13 August, a music video was released for "In Bloom", directed by Lewis Cater. ''The Peace and the Panic'' was released on 18 August through independent label
Hopeless Records Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California. History Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...
. The
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
edition of the album features "Beautiful Madness" and "Worth It" as bonus tracks. To promote the album's release, the band did a series of in-store acoustic performances and signing events in the US and the UK. Following its release, the band appeared at the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
. Following this, the band will go on a headlining tour of the UK with support from As It Is, Real Friends and Woes in October. The European leg of the tour was supported by As It Is, Real Friends and Blood Youth. In January and February 2018, the band will go on a tour of North America. They will return to Australia in December 2018, this time as headliners.


Reception

Before release, ''Alternative Press'' included the album on their list of the most anticipated albums of the year. The single "
In Bloom "In Bloom" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the second track on the band's second album, ''Nevermind'', released by DGC Records in September 1991. The album version is the seco ...
" received a
Kerrang! Award The Kerrang! Awards are an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''Kerrang!'' and focusing primarily on rock music. The annual awards features performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards of mo ...
in June 2018 for Best Song.
Cleveland.com ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...
ranked "In Bloom" at number 17 on their list of the top 100 pop-punk songs.


Track listing

Writing credits per booklet.


Personnel

Personnel per booklet. Neck Deep * Ben Barlow – lead vocals * Sam Bowden – lead guitar, backing vocals * Fil Thorpe-Evans - bass, backing vocals, co-lead vocals and acoustic guitar on track 8 * Dani Washington – drums * Matt West – rhythm guitar Additional musicians * Sam Carter of
Architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
– guest vocals on "Don't Wait" * Ella Jones – intro vocals on "Where Do We Go When We Go" * Evie Jones – intro vocals on "Where Do We Go When We Go" * Finlay Jones – intro vocals on "Where Do We Go When We Go" * Darcy Jones – intro vocals on "Where Do We Go When We Go" * Laura Whiteside – intro on "Critical Mistake" Production * Mike Green – producer, recording, mixing (tracks 3, 12 and 13) * Will McCoy – assistant engineer * Colin Schwanke – assistant engineer *
Neal Avron Neal Avron (born December 31, 1965) is an American record producer, mixer, audio engineer, and musician. Working predominantly in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Eve ...
– mixing (except for tracks 3, 12 and 13) *
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...
– mastering * Ryan Besch – illustration, design


Charts


References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peace and the Panic 2017 albums Neck Deep albums Hopeless Records albums