When New Found Glory came out and said ‘Not Without A Fight’ would hark back to their earlier sound, I think many people got so excited they did a little wee. I know I did. The self-titled record is a genre classic; one of those records you name in your top 5 pop-punk records if you grew up through the Drive Thru generation of bands. ‘Coming Home’ was a bit of a shock to old-skool fans, although looking back I guess that move was inevitable as the band grew up. Then came the Bridge 9 EP and the cover songs and the opportunity for a return to their roots.
It’s just that this isn’t really that return. Don’t get me wrong, in places ‘Not Without A Fight’ is brilliant. But it’s more the record you’d have expected before ‘Coming Home’ than the one straight after. That progression would have been much more natural and, to an extent, expected. It’s weird though, as NFG are still the most energetic and tight live band I’ve seen in years…yet it’s not quite translated on record. Why, who knows.
Still, this is a good record and one that both old and new fans will enjoy. It’s not their best work and it’s not their worst either – and sorry to sit on the fence but it is that kind of middle-of-the-road record where you like it but don’t quite love it. ‘Listen To Your Friends’, ’47’ and ‘Truck Stop Blues’ is an awesome triple salvo during the first third of this record, and there are other highlights too. But, and as an older fan of the band who first saw them in 2001 and has seen them about 10 times since, I don’t quite buzz off some of these songs as much as I do the likes of ‘Better Off Dead’, even 8 years after first hearing it.
Jordan’s vocals are still as good as ever and everything is present and correct. And I don’t want to sound like I have a downer on this record but I really do enjoy it. It’s great if you forget the back catalogue and good if you include it. There’s just a little something missing which could turn this from a 7/10 into an 8. The fact remains that New Found Glory are one of the best bands of their generation and an inspiration to thousands of soundalikes. It’s testament that after about 10 years they’re still pumping out awesome hit records and they’re still an incredible live band. I’ll enjoy this record all summer long, even if I do still yearn for something that little bit older…
Paul