Top tracks — play these first
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Losing Teeth — As the opening track, it sets the tone for the album with its raw energy and introspective lyrics about facing personal struggles.
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Growing Pains — This track encapsulates the album's theme of navigating life's challenges, blending catchy hooks with sincere reflections on growth and change.
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What Did You Expect? — The song offers a powerful punch of emotion and attitude, highlighting the band's knack for addressing disappointment and expectations in relationships.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album captures youthful themes with energetic punk melodies but lacks some cohesion in its latter half.
What we noticed
- The first half of the album maintains a high energy level with fast tempos and driving guitar riffs, while the second half introduces more melodic and introspective tracks.
- Several songs feature dual vocal lines, allowing for a dynamic interplay between the lead singer and backing vocals, enhancing emotional delivery.
- Composition 25% of the score
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6/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady mid-tempo reflective energy
- short bursts of introspective lyrics
- for upbeat afternoon drives
- catchy melodies for sing-alongs
Maybe skip if you
- prefer long, sprawling compositions
- seek deep, slow emotional exploration
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Wishful Thinking is Neck Deep's debut studio album, following their successful EP, Rain in July. Released in January 2014, this record marked their transition from an emerging band to a significant player in the pop-punk scene, showcasing their distinct sound and lyrical maturity.
- Stylistic neighbors
- State Champs· The Wonder Years· Real Friends
Moments worth listening for
Where the writing does something specific.
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Growing Pains
The moment shifts from a hopeful desire for growth to a stark acknowledgment of personal limitations.
This juxtaposition between aspiration and reality deepens the emotional impact, reflecting the struggles many face during their formative years.
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Losing Teeth 2:59
- 2 Crushing Grief (No Remedy) 2:56
- 3 Staircase Wit 3:10
- 4 Damsel in Distress 3:22
- 5 Zoltar Speaks 2:56
- 6 Growing Pains 2:56
- 7 Say What You Want 1:01
- 8 Mileage 2:39
- 9 Sweet Nothings 2:42
- 10 What Did You Expect? 3:16
- 11 Blank Pages 3:13
- 12 Candour 3:17
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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