Every single feels like a hug from a smiling stranger in the pit. “My word is cement, I’m gonna give you one hundred percent,” promises vocalist Jordan Pundik, and we believe him on the old school banger ‘100%’. ‘Laugh It Off’ is all choppy riffs and remembrances of making up after fights with friends, and ‘Treat Yourself’ boasts a killer intro, an Offspring-style beat and a broad streak of self love. The millennial skate kid anthem that is ‘Beer and Blood Stains’ is bound to open up a heck of a pit, assuming our lower backs can take the jumping, but who cares when the guitar’s as strong as the sentiment?

The real depth comes from the album tracks. “You’re just a soundtrack making money off their sadness,” Pundik swipes at low-tier bands on ‘Boom Roasted’, and while the anti-emo sentiment feels a little bit 2008, he’s got a point. Dwelling on sadness was never New Found Glory’s style and even at times of adversity, they’d rather focus on the positives. Even ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’, a song that lyrically focuses on Gilbert’s recovery from cancer, burns away the fear in favour of power pop punk and guitar-driven strength. In fact, ‘Dream Born Again’ sums up the whole state of affairs for New Found Glory as they stand right now: hopeful, on form, and smiling in the face of negativity. There’s something truly admirable about creating an album that’s full of sunshine, equal parts throwback and update, that stands strong as an important chapter in the unfolding New Found Glory story. As they remind us on ‘You Got This’, we’re capable of rising above our troubles, and they’re a band able to drop an album of straight up self-belief distilled into classic pop-punk.

We all know what New Found Glory sound like, and ‘Listen Up!’ won’t be the record that changes your perception of them. However, this is a solid slice of pop-punk from a band who’ve made their name from serving up refreshing, fun tunes, and they aren’t about to stop now. New Found Glory continue to be a safe bet, an island of consistency in the rapids of the scene, and that’s been their massive strength since day one. Listen up, and drift away with an album that bounces through the past and present with joy and verve.

Kate Allvey

Split between seven new songs and seven acoustic renditions of classic New Found Glory, the creation of ‘MTMOI’ was born out of the unfortunate situation of guitarist Chad Gilbert. In late 2021, he was diagnosed with an 8-inch cancerous tumour, a rare pheochromocytoma. A percentage of this record will go towards The Pheo Para Alliance, an organisation advocating the awareness of pheochromocytoma.

The opener ‘Dream Born Again’ sets the hopeful tone that threads the seven new tracks together. While Jordan Pundik’s unmistakable vocals don’t entirely translate to an acoustic setting, the jangly acoustics and optimistic melody make for a pleasing opening.

Understandably, the seven new songs sees Gilbert take an affectionate, autobiographical approach to his songwriting. ‘Mouth To Mouth’ maintains the sentimental tone, dwelling on “making the most of it” while highlighting NFG’s melodic capabilities. ‘Get Me Home’ hones in on Gilbert’s goals on the road to recovery; spending time with loved ones, heading back out on tour, and watching his daughter grow up. It’s a strong, heartwarming cut that emphasises the personal nature of ‘MTMOI’.

‘Watch the Lilies Grow’ takes a balladic route, as Gilbert pens an ode to his daughter, Lilly. Complemented by succulent orchestral swells, it’s an emotional tug on the heartstrings that puts Pundik’s vocals (and Gilbert’s words) at the forefront, whereas ‘More Than Enough’ sees Gilbert show appreciation for his wife. It is one of several new songs that could easily be transformed into the band’s bombastic pop-punk style (‘Get Me Home’ and ‘Dream Born Again’ being the other songs).

Gilbert’s gratitude continues on ‘Kiss The Floor’ as it takes an overarching tone of appreciation. Pundik’s role as Gilbert’s messenger is sincerely executed – throughout these seven songs, his vocals share the optimism and thankful tone Chad has written. Having spent over 25 years together in New Found Glory, it’s no surprise that the love and respect Pundik has for Gilbert has allowed him to confidently express the writer’s thoughts and emotions in a suitable manner. ‘Bloom’ ends the first half with one final plucky acoustic slice of optimism. However, it’s one of the more forgettable offerings on this side.

Part two of ‘MTMOI’ puts emphasis on NFG’s celebratory nature. Recorded in front of an intimate live crowd in Franklin, Tennessee, it allows longtime fans to hear favourites such as ‘All Downhill From Here’ and ‘Dressed To Kill’ in a stripped-down fashion. With crowd participation scattered throughout, it’s a short, plucky snapshot of NFG’s longevity and influence. Although Pundik’s vocals don’t always translate into an intimate acoustic setting brilliantly, the classic hooks and melodies firmly remain intact.

Ending with the one-two power punch of ‘My Friends Over You’ and ‘Hit Or Miss’, it’s a feel-good reminder of NFG’s ability to write timeless pop-punk songs. When paired with the starting sentimental set, it’s obvious that Gilbert and Pundik, along with Ian Grushka (bass guitar) and Cyrus Bolooki (drums) have a flair for writing annoyingly good melodies that continue to bring fans together. Even though there’s a sense they’ve been tagged on to make what would be an EP a full album, you can appreciate the quartet’s ability to transform these fan favourites into a tight-knit acoustic setting.

‘Make The Most Of It’ is far from a throwaway acoustic record. The new songs on offer are executed with substance and care. The overarching message of hope is delivered with warmth. Whereas the live acoustic set of NFG classics is sure to be a welcomed bonus for any longtime fans.

SÊAN REID

Of course, it’s also true that pop punk is an inherently youthful genre – and for a band who are now in their late thirties and early forties, it’s hard not to wonder how they can continue to make songs that are authentic, without losing their classic pop punk sound. 2017’s ‘Make Me Sick’ and 2014’s ‘Resurrection’ found the perfect balance, chucking anger (‘The Worst Person’, ‘Your Jokes Aren’t Funny’), persistence and self-improvement (‘One More Round’) and a dash of angsty nihilism (‘Party On Apocalypse’) into the mix to create pop punk that continues to have relevance for their now equally full-grown fanbase (well, full-grown-ish, for those of us in denial).

‘Forever And Ever x Infinity’ aims to continue that trend and starts in fine upbeat form with ‘Shook By Your Shaved Head’. Underpinned by a chugging bassline and chunky riffs, this is the sound that New Found Glory do best, and there could be no better time for this album to land than summer; if anything could make up for this year’s lack of festivals, it’s pop punk played at unhealthy volumes. Energetic and fun with a capital F, these songs represent a swan dive back into the tracks we fell in love with on albums like ‘Sticks And Stones’ and ‘New Found Glory’ – and second track and lead single ‘Greatest Of All Time’ is all the proof needed that they’re still more than capable of creating those big, singalong choruses and beats that keep your feet moving, though there’s plenty more still to come.

There’s still a hearty dose of angst hanging around in the form of tracks like the punky ‘Nothing To Say’ and ‘Like I Never Existed’, and more than a few classic NFG love songs in the jaunty ‘Stay Awhile’, soft ballad ‘More And More’, and anthemic ‘Do You Want To Settle Down?’, never leaning too heavily on one theme. It’s as you make your way through these songs, though, that one of the biggest downsides of this fifteen track album becomes evident – it is, quite simply, too bloody long. Though three or four additions doesn’t sound like much in theory, previous albums have felt far snappier at twelve tracks or less, and there’s not really enough diversity in the sound on ‘Forever And Ever x Infinity’ to easily maintain such a long runtime.

That said, repeat plays do this album plenty of favours as certain tracks begin to shine and stand out from the aural crowd – ‘Himalaya’, for example, is a highlight, throwing out snare aplenty on the verses with a ‘Better Off Dead’-style vibe, while the uplifting spirit of ‘The Way You Deserve’ and chuggy, classic pop punk sounds in ‘Scarier Than Jason Voorhees At A Campfire’ reignite the fire towards the end of the record. Despite the length, there’s still plenty of life and genuine energy rippling throughout the album; even on the occasions it begins to feel like a bit of a slog, it never feels tired. It’s a shame the album finishes on the slightly dull ‘Slipping Away’, with its more classic, ballady rock approach resulting in a bit of a downer for a primarily high energy release. The hints of ‘Coming Home’ about it suggest that it could be a grower, though, and the final echoing moments are a peaceful and effective wind down.

Despite a handful of flaws (and a desperate need of a trim), ‘Forever And Ever x Infinity’ is the work of a band who, twenty years on, are still full of fresh ideas, bringing them to life without betraying the sound we know and love. Yes, there’s a few clunky and clichéd lyrics here and there, but they will somehow matter less when it comes to bellowing them aloud at a gig or festival – and, after all, on stage is where New Found Glory truly bring their songs to life. For those of us who’ve long held NFG in our hearts, this is a release that will comfortably nestle right in there alongside all that preceded it – and the kings of pop punk continue their reign.

GEM ROGERS

These two sides are brought together on latest release ‘From The Screen To Your Stereo 3’ – as the imaginative title implies, it’s the second follow-up to their wildly popular and, if we’re honest, slightly culty covers album ‘From The Screen To Your Stereo’. It might pain older listeners to realise it’s been nearly twenty years since the original was released (sorry) and twelve since ‘Part 2’, where the band gave a pop-punk spin to classic film tracks like ‘The Glory Of Love’ and ‘Kiss Me’, respectively.

The idea almost feels a bit tired now, and prior to listening it elicits a few shrugs – though it’s safe to say that this third round goes in pretty hard with tunes from some of the most popular soundtracks in recent years. Mess these up, and people are going to have some words to say. And that’s where New Found Glory show their eternal quality.

Things don’t get off to the strongest of starts with a cup-less version of ‘Cups’ (‘Pitch Perfect’) – it’s not quite the opener ‘Kiss Me’ was on ‘Part 2’ and sort of loses its point in this full band format, though it’s only just under two minutes long and fun enough. All is forgotten by the time we steam our way into track two, taken from the unavoidable hit musical that is ‘The Greatest Showman’. And listen, we don’t want to spark off too heated a debate, but we’re confident in asserting that New Found Glory’s version of ‘This Is Me’ is… Well, it’s better than the original. What song could be better suited for a pop-punk makeover than an uplifting tune about accepting and owning your role as an outcast? It’s a spirited, enchanting, and joyful rendition that maintains the feeling and theatrics of the original whilst adding a dash of guitar-based bite, and if it doesn’t make an appearance in future live sets, we’ll be staging a revolt.

While you might struggle to place the soundtracks that a lot of the songs on ‘Part 1’ and ‘Part 2’ were drawn from, ‘Part 3’ is altogether more obvious – though you’d be forgiven for having forgotten that ‘Accidentally In Love’ was the theme song for ‘Shrek 2’ (we might’ve had to google it). Between ‘The Power Of Love’ (‘Back To The Future’), which sits nicely alongside their previous 80s inspired covers, ‘Let It Go’ (do we really need to say what that’s from?), and ‘A Thousand Years’, the beautiful song that is undeservedly attached to the worst film series of all time (‘Twilight’), New Found Glory have taken these beloved, instantly recognisable songs and liberally applied their unmistakable sound to reclaim the tracks as their own.

The ‘From The Screen To Your Stereo’ series is unlikely to ever win the band swathes of awards, but that’s not what they’re for. The goal is to have fun, and the musical form of a massive grin that is album closer ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ is an apt end to a record that’s sure to put plenty of smiles on faces. Out of context, the idea of a band – much less a pop-punk band – successfully churning out not one, not two, but three covers albums sounds utterly absurd, but then, there’s not many bands like New Found Glory. ‘From The Screen To Your Stereo Part 3’ is a half hour slice of pure, escapist fun, and it’s exactly what we love them for.

GEM ROGERS

NOFX, New Found Glory, Waterparks, Story Of The Year, Mad Caddies, Silverstein & Gallows (!) will be joining headliners All Time Low on the 25th & 26th May 2019.

After the huge success of Slam Dunk’s move to Hatfield House last year, the festival has also announced plans for a new site for Slam Dunk North, moving to Leeds’ Temple Newsam Estate. Sadly this means no more Slam Dunk Midlands (you will be missed) but  bigger sites mean even more pop-punk fanatics can make their way to the definitive date of the alternative diary.

Tickets are on sale Friday 19th October at 9am fromhttp://slamdunkfestival.com/ 

Ticket Price £59. All subject to booking fees.

Check out the video below:

Watch the video for ‘Call Me Anti-Social’ here:

This follows up their ninth album ‘Makes Me Sick’, which was released earlier this year via Hopeless Records. It is to coincide with the pop punks’ twentieth anniversary.