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New Found Glory

Radiosurgery

Written by: PP on 12/10/2011 07:05:01

"Radiosurgery", the seventh full-length by seminal pop punkers New Found Glory, is the album they have been trying to write since 2004's "Catalyst": a straight-forward, up-tempo pop punk album that's both sparkly and summer-y in its melodies, has enough pop to appeal to the mainstream audiences, but not to an extent that it'd scare their old fans and those of us who enjoy our fair share of punk away. In other words, it brings a perfectly balanced 50-50 split between pop and punk, an inherently satisfying genre album in the sense that if someone asks you what pop punk sounds like, "Radiosurgery" is the album you'll always refer to for the perfect example.

Five years ago, the band released "Coming Home", an album which all but abandoned their roots in punk rock and threw them far into the realm of pop, evident in the ridiculously overpolished production and a grander sound than was never necessary for a successful New Found Glory album. It was their "Lights And Sounds" (see: Yellowcard), a learning experience, which undoubtedly triggered a reaction in the form of their next album "Not Without A Fight" from two years ago. That one was the polar opposite album to "Coming Home", a record that drew heavily from crunchy hardcore riffs and even added gang-shouts to the New Found Glory repertoire. It offered more interesting riffs and a more rewarding listening experience overall, but perhaps lacked the no-frills fun element that was always associated with their sound in the past, so it didn't stick with you as long as you would have hoped for. And so they came up with "Radiosurgery", the record that combines both styles precisely in the way I described earlier: this is the quintessential pop punk album of 2011, the record which doesn't belong to the reactionary style (The Wonder Years, etc), to the 'defend pop punk' style (Man Overboard), the no-frills style (The Copyrights), nor anything else. It's just pop punk, and it sounds just like you'd expect a New Found Glory album to sound like.

And yet there are subtle differences. It's not as bright as "Sticks And Stones", not as naive as "Nothing Gold Can Stay", and not as genre-defining as "New Found Glory" back in 2000. It has crunchy riffs, but they are played in a high-energy manner, and they are supplemented with ridiculously catchy choruses that toy with pop just enough to sneak their way into the 'best of' group from the band (see especially "Summer Fling, Don't Mean A Thing" and "I'm Not The One"), while still pointing firmly towards the foundations of this band: fun, catchy music that's easy to get into but that's energetic and charming in its own way.

And so that may put some of you off, but the truth is that "Radiosurgery" has more than its fair share of instantly grabbing hits that there should be no question about it: it must be grouped together with the band's first three albums as the 'great' era from New Found Glory. It's not original in the slightest, but this is exactly how you want your dose of New Found Glory to sound like, nothing more, nothing less.

Download: I'm Not The One, Anthem For The Unwanted, Summer Fling Don't Mean A Thing, Drill It In My Brain
For the fans of: older NFG records, summer, Fireworks, The Tired & True, Veara
Listen: Myspace

Release date 04.10.2011
Epitaph

New Found Glory - Radiosurgery by Epitaph Records