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A History of Bad Decisions

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A History of Bad Decisions
EP by
Neck Deep
Released19 February 2013 (2013-02-19)
RecordedJanuary 2013,
Celestial Recordings, Wrexham
GenrePop punk
Length9:17
LabelSelf-released
ProducerSebastian Barlow
Neck Deep chronology
Rain in July
(2012) 		A History of Bad Decisions
(2013) 		Wishful Thinking
(2014)

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

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Vocalist Ben Barlow met guitarist Lloyd Roberts when Barlow's older brother, Seb, was recording the Wrexham hardcore band Spires that Roberts played in.[1] At the time Barlow wrote pop punk songs for fun.[1] The duo posted the song "What Did You Expect?" online under the name Neck Deep.[1] The song 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]

The band recorded more songs with Seb Barlow in the attic of Ben's home,[1] dubbed Celestial Recordings.[2] The band released an EP, Rain in July, in September 2012,[3] which gained the band even more attention from people.[1] According to Barlow, "People took notice and demanded that we play shows."[1] The band supported With the Punches and Me Vs Hero in the UK in December.[4] In January 2013, the band recording the A History of Bad Decisions EP at Celestial Recordings.[2] The recordings were then mixed by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtletone Studios.[2] "Up in Smoke" details when Barlow was kicked out of university and for being a stoner, which is where the title comes from. Barlow said he was kicked out as he was not attending lectures, which he missed due to tours with the band.[5]

Release and reception

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On 21 February 2013, the band released the EP as a "pay what you want" download.[6] The band toured the UK supporting Hacktivist in February 2013.[7]

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.[8] It was released to capitalize on the band's popularity at the time.[9] Vocalist Ben Barlow said that this compilation would be "definitive release of [these] songs".[10] 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!"[10]

Andy Ritchie of Rock Sound wrote that the EP's length doesn't provide "much in terms of listening capacity", but shows the band's progression since their Rain in July EP.[11] He named "Tables Turned" and "Head to the Ground" as "sonic proof" of the band's capability to compose "catchy songs with heart and soul."[11]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Neck Deep[2]

No.TitleLength
1."Up in Smoke"3:11
2."Tables Turned"3:28
3."Head to the Ground"2:40

Personnel

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Personnel adapted from the booklet/sleeve of the Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions compilation.[2][12]

References

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Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bird 2014, p. 59
  2. ^ 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)
  3. ^ Wagner, Christian (17 September 2012). "Featured Stream: Neck Deep EP". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on 3 September 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  4. ^ 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 28 November 2015.
  5. ^ Travers 2015, p. 43
  6. ^ Beringer, Drew (21 February 2013). "New Neck Deep EP Available". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on 17 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  7. ^ Biddulph, Andy (11 January 2013). "Hacktivist, Neck Deep & Eager Teeth UK Tour". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on 17 September 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b Ritchie 2013, p. 99
  12. ^ 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

  • Bird, Ryan (September 2014). Bird, Ryan (ed.). "Smokin' Aces". Rock Sound (191). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Ritchie, Andy (May 2013). Patashnik, Ben (ed.). "Reviews". Rock Sound (173). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Travers, Paul (8 August 2015). McMahon, James (ed.). "The Songs That Saved My Life". Kerrang! (1580). London: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 0262-6624.
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