So, one of the most talked about records of the year is finally upon us. New Found Glory, the quintet from Florida, have in the last year come straight out of nowhere to become one of the hottest properties in the genre. With songs dripping melody and catchy riffs bouncing off of each other it’s been pretty hard to pass them by. Three sell-out UK tours in the last year have proved their popularity is on the up and with newie ‘Sticks And Stones’ now on the shelves, it seems inevitable that the band are destined for big things. But is this new record actually any good?
The answer – yes. It’s flippin’ brilliant. Sure, if you’ve not liked NFG in the past then you sure as hell won’t like them now, but ‘Sticks And Stones’ is the sound of a band growing up, both individually and as a band, and, most of all, having fun. Basically every song is a singalong sunshine anthem, perfect for the summer. Ok, this is hardly the most groundbreaking record you’ll ever hear, but so what? If you want anthems, here they are. If you want hardcore buy a hardcore album.
Take the corking opening track ‘Understatement’ which has a chorus as big as 50-stone woman’s waistline. Then there’s the brilliant first single ‘My Friend’s Over You’, all trademark NFG riffs and brilliant drumming from Cyrus, a feature throughout. Then of course there’s Jordan’s vocals, which although can be too much for some, are pretty unique. ‘Sonny’ is a lot slower, although a nice fit after the frenetic sugar-rush of the previous track, whilst ‘Something I Call A Personality’ is another one of those NFG songs that just gets stuck in your head and has you singing along all day. The production certainly does help, but at the end of the day it’s useless if the songs aren’t any good. So it’s a good job that they are. ‘Head On Collision’ is a personal favourite, again nothing groundbreaking, but it’s bloody good pop-punk.
‘It’s Been A Summer’ is punky and perky, whilst ‘Forget My Name‘ is a bit slower, without losing any of that NFG identity. ‘Never Give Up’ is a bit faster and edgier and ‘The Great Houdini’ is a classic. There’s no doubt people will listen to this thinking it’s obvious and boring and been done a million times before. And to a certain extent it’s a valid opinion. But with ‘Sticks And Stones’ the band have created an album that is consistently great. Listen to this album for what it is and not for what it isn’t and you’ll enjoy.
‘Singled Out’ is perhaps NFG’s defining moment, a track that surpasses the likes of ‘Hit Or Miss’ and ‘3rd and Long’. Pissed off with pent up anger (is it aimed at Midtown???) combined with a delicious vocal melody, it sums up everything that I like about the band. And the parting shot of “what will you do when there’s no friends to fall back on” comes very close to home for me. ‘Belated’ is another great song, as is the finale ‘The Story So Far,’ which shows the band’s mature side is reflected in their songwriting. Then for all you lucky UK folk there are the great bonus tracks ‘Anniversary‘, ‘Everything’ and the poignant ‘The Story So Far‘ acoustic, which fits rather nicely as a bonus. And even on top of all that there’s more collaborations than your normal Jay-Z record, with Matt Skiba, Dan Adriano, Bane and Mark Hoppus just a few of the other ‘artists’ involved in the cd.
New Found Glory are a pop-punk band. There are no frills here, what you see is what you get and what you get is pop-punk of the highest order. In my eyes ‘Sticks And Stones’ is the catchiest, most melodic record of its type since Blink 182‘s ‘Enema Of The State’ and I’m pretty sure sales of this record will show that. Maybe not millions, but it won’t be far off. And for all you folk that claim I kiss Drive Thru’s arse, this record is on MCA… So, sticks and stones may break their bones, but names will never harm them…
Paul