The title of the opening track from New Found Glory's sixth studio album "Not Without A Fight" says it all. The crunchy power chords of "Right Where We Left Off" reassure the listener that New Found Glory has, indeed, returned to their original sound and style. It is immediately apparent that the band has shelved the experimental sound it attempted on its previous two studio albums, 2006's "Coming Home" and 2004's "Catalyst." "Not Without A Fight" finds the Florida rockers back where they belong: in the world of pop-punk.
Formed in 1997, New Found Glory took cues from bands such as Green Day and The Offspring and created their own brand of pop-punk. After three studio albums and a long string of hits such as "My Friends Over You," "Hit or Miss" and "Head On Collision," the band took a turn for the experimental. In "Catalyst," the band's sound was much heavier than fans had come to expect. The band followed this up with "Coming Home," which, conversely, was a much softer album laden with piano riffs and acoustic guitars. Now, almost seven years after their last true pop-punk album, "Sticks and Stones" (2002), the boys from Coral Springs are finally back.
New Found Glory manages to pack quite a bit into "Not Without A Fight," despite a runtime of only 36 minutes. Lyrically, most of the songs on the album stay true to the band's roots, and as they did on their first three albums, New Found Glory pens infectiously catchy tunes about heartbreak, ex-girlfriends and melancholy. A quick glance at the track listing makes these themes readily apparent with song titles such as "Don't Let Her Pull You Down," "Heartless at Best" and "I'll Never Love Again." The chorus to the album's lead single "Listen to Your Friends" laments "I should have listened to my friends/ I should have listened to them/ When they told me you had bad intentions."
Although these themes may alienate those looking for more mature subject matter, New Found Glory knows its target audience extremely well. On "Not Without a Fight," the band is able to masterfully tailor the lyrics of its songs to please fans.
Musically, the album is similar to New Found Glory's previous successful efforts. Songs like "47" and "Truck Stop Blues" are every bit as catchy as the hits that made the band a household name. Guitarist Chad Gilbert's power-pop playing style holds the album together, and his deceptively simple musical arrangements work extremely well on the majority of the tracks. As with any of the group's albums, however, the standout feature is the unique vocal talent of lead singer Jordan Pundik. Although his voice may take some getting used to (think Rush's Geddy Lee with a bad cold), Pundik's singing works well for the loud, driving pop-punk style that New Found Glory embodies.
While it is a very strong effort from New Found Glory, "Not Without a Fight" is not without its flaws. Although longtime fans can appreciate the comeback of the old New Found Glory, there is very little material on "Not Without a Fight" which will gain the band any new followers. If a listener has not heard any of New Found Glory's impressive back-catalog, this is not the album with which to start. While the record is impressive, it does not contain as many instant classics as many of the band's previous studio albums or EPs.
But the album still represents a wise return to the band's roots. While New Found Glory has certainly matured over their twelve year tenure, "Not Without a Fight" proves that thankfully, it has not matured too much.
