Sound Mouth.

If you think you know Neck Deep, it may well be time to think again. The Wrexham pop punks are gearing up to release an album markedly different to any of their previous offerings, with All Distortions Are Intentional being tied together conceptually by an as-yet-unclear narrative set in the fictional world of 'Sonderland'. Not to be confused with Sunderland, of course. If this all sounds a bit out there for a band like Neck Deep, not usually noted for straying from the pop punk formula, then that's the idea. The five-piece are reportedly aiming to reinvent themselves on this new record, with lead single 'Lowlife' being the first glimpse into this brave new world. Musically, Lowlife doesn't actually stray too far from what fans may expect from the band, being fun, bouncy pop punk with a real earworm of a hook. So far, so familiar. Lyrically, however, this is uncharted territory, with inexplicable lines like 'I like some purple with my tangerine' and...

After posting last month's Top Tracks feature so late, I promised myself that I would get the November article out much sooner. Well, since today is the last of the month, I've just managed to keep that promise. But, before you take a look, be sure to check back here some time in December for my upcoming Top 10 Albums of 2019 list. It's going to be a big one! Until then, read on to find out what you should be listening to as we inch closer to the end of the decade... Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now The perfect comeback track for one of the biggest artists in pop, Dua Lipa has unsurprisingly stuck with the infectiously catchy dance-pop sound which brought her huge success last year through collaborations with Calvin Harris and Silk City. 'Don't Start Now' is in many ways familiar territory for Lipa, especially with the lyrics about thriving in the aftermath of a break-up, yet the undeniable groove and funky chorus bassline also feel refreshingly differ...

October was a pretty busy month for me, so that's why I'm only just getting round to posting this month's Top Tracks feature, along with the fact that there was such an influx of new music last month that this has been my hardest list to compile yet. Still, I persevered and finally my work is done! Read on to hear about my picks for the top five tracks of October... The Darkness - Heavy Metal Lover Well this was a surprise. The Darkness were the first rock band that I ever loved, with their debut album Permission to Land still holding a firm place amongst my favourite albums. Since their 2011 reunion, the band have released a string of fairly strong albums, but their latest effort, Easter is Cancelled, is quite possibly their best since that glorious debut. One of the standout tracks is undoubtedly 'Heavy Metal Lover', an audacious and confidently daft mix of tranquil balladry, tongue-in-cheek lyrical witticisms and blistering thrash metal riffs that onl...

From the Human League to Def Leppard, Arctic Monkeys to Bring Me the Horizon, Sheffield has produced some of the biggest and best acts in British music over the last few decades. This trend shows no sign of stopping any time soon thanks to rising indie-pop outfit The Seamonsters. After releasing a string of strong singles and establishing an eye-catching visual aesthetic, the band has today dropped their latest offering, How to be Famous . Building from an effects-smothered guitar riff, through a subdued pre-chorus, and then letting loose on the punchy, infectious main hook , this is undoubtedly The Seamonsters' most confident and effective track to date. The quintet have cited early Blondie and Aztec Camera as key influences here, yet the inspiration taken from New Wave never causes How to be Famous to come of as trite or stale. Rather, The Seamonsters have again displayed their ability to echo the past whilst forging a sound that feels completely unique and refresh...

September may have seen Green Day and Blink-182 dropping some of their most embarrassingly bland material to date, but there was also enough greatness from across the music spectrum that I could have easily made this month's list even longer. Either way, I've stuck to my usual five picks of the very best tracks of the past month. If you haven't heard these yet, get them in your ears! Foals - The Runner This second single from the upcoming Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part II is a more than worthy follow-up to last month's excellent 'Black Bull'. While not quite as furious as that track, 'The Runner' sees Foals continue to deliver on their promise of heavier material for this new album with a formidable, fuzzy lead riff and production that packs a hefty punch. The chorus is a straightforward but hugely effective showcase for Yannis Philippakis' soaring vocals, while the frontman's conceptual lyrics are, as ever, owed your atte...

Now that the summer of 2019 is over, I've been in a retrospective mood, so it felt appropriate to look back on some of my favourite tracks of the last month. August was a pretty busy and diverse time for new releases, so I limited myself to my five favourite tracks to keep things concise. Get this stuff in your ears! Foals - 'Black Bull' The Oxfordshire indie giants are really spoiling us this year. Following the March release of Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part I , perhaps their best album to date, the band have recently dropped the first single from the upcoming Part II record. 'Black Bull' is a rough and raw bulldozer of a track , probably the heaviest Foals have ever released, and I absolutely love it. 18th October can't come quick enough, nor can a chance to hear this hard rock rager live. The 1975 - 'People' Foals are not the only band to have dipped their toes into heavier sounds lately, with indie-pop megastars The 19...

It's no secret that Liverpool has been a hotbed of amazing music for decades, and right now the scene is hotter than ever, producing so many great and diverse artists that it can sometimes be hard to keep up. With that in mind, welcome to the first instalment of Liverpool Sounds , a new article series here on Sound Mouth where you can find out which Liverpool bands you need to hear right now! This week's spotlight is on the recently-formed indie quartet Idle Lies , who have just dropped their debut single 'In the Shadows'. Recorded at Liverpool's iconic Parr St. Studios, this is a straightforward yet instantly catchy indie/soft rock track with an effective vocal hook and laid-back vibe, making it a great addition to any indie summer playlist. I dle Lies cite Arctic Monkeys and The Beatles as two of their biggest influences, while the strong vocals and smooth lead guitar in this new track also have a certain Dire Straits quality about them. Anyo...

In the last five years, few bands in the rock/alt. pop scenes have seen quite as quick a rise to stardom as that of Massachusetts trio PVRIS. Their 2014 debut album White Noise saw the band begin to move away from their early metalcore sound and embrace more electronic and synth-pop elements to pretty significant success. 2017 follow-up All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell saw the band rise to even greater heights as the record broke into the UK top 5 and reaffirmed PVRIS as one of the hottest alternative acts of this decade. After a recent break from the limelight, its safe to say that a third album from the band will be arriving amongst a swarm of anticipation, especially with the first single, 'Death of Me', just dropping last week. The best way I can quickly sum up this brand new track is to describe it as quintessentially PVRIS , and that's definitely a good thing! The band have continued to drop more traditional rock elements like guitar riffs and live dr...

It's been almost two years since Welsh pop punks Neck Deep released their last album, The Peace and the Panic , which proved to be their most successful release to date and firmly positioned them in the upper tier of modern British rock. The band have just dropped a brand new single entitled 'She's a God', so I thought this would be a good opportunity to write my first track review for Sound Mouth. Neck Deep have never been the most revolutionary or experimental band in their genre, so it should be unsurprising that 'She's a God' sees the band stick with the sugary-sweet pop punk sound that put them on the map. However, this lack of innovation isn't necessary a bad thing. The track is very much in the vein of 'In Bloom', the breakout single from The Peace and the Panic , with its hooky, pop-friendly chorus and sentimental lyrics being the defining features. The band obviously know their strengths and play to them , while Ben Barlow's...