The finest...
After years of slugging it out against bands such as Green Day, Blink 182 and Simple Plan, it seems pop punk extraordinaire New Found Glory have risen to the occasion with their sixth album release ‘Not Without A Fight’.
The fun loving atmosphere surrounding these fellas is remarkable and put to very good use with these twelve songs. The great thing about the album is its honest high-spirited form. The guys use simplicity spectacularly to write and record their short, head bopping tunes and don’t try to be clever by using metaphors in their lyrics or making their tracks gob smacking; this is why these songs are so entertaining and enjoyable to listen to.
Lyrically the song that grabbed my attention was ‘Listen to your Friends’. The way it is written is descriptive rather than metaphorical, which made it more charming to listen to. I could practically see the comical video playing out in my mind as it flutters along; it is a real pop anthem.
In terms of music, the album is full of fist pumping hooks as well as sing-a-long choruses and gang harmonies. The album opens with ‘Right Where We Left Off’, one of many tunes present with a chorus that is hard to forget. ‘Don’t Let Her Pull You Down’ follows this with the chorus being shouted from the rooftops; this is one that would go down a treat live. I like the way this album explores deeper and darker sounding tunes such as the punchy ‘47’, as well as the softer more bouncy marshmallow style ones. The latter group consists of melodious numbers, some that have a ballad styling as a man pours his heart out to a good rhythm and some quite emotional statements of honesty.
The album closes with ‘Don’t Let This Be The End’; a song that concludes perfectly with united band harmonies. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this release. As Mary Poppins would describe herself I use the same sentence to describe this record - “practically perfect in every way”. New Found Glory is playing two dates in the UK next month so catch them demonstrating their talents while you can.