NEW FOUND GLORY - ‘MAKE THE MOST OF IT’

Writer’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

‘Make The Most Of It’ marks an incredible milestone for New Found Glory. This record is their 12th studio album released since their debut, ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay,’ back in 1999. Twelve records in just under 24 years is an incredible turnaround and that isn’t even counting their four albums of covers. Now, whilst not all the albums have been classics of the pop punk genre, they tend to hit way more than they miss. The key to the band’s success, as far as I’m concerned, is the fact that they never step too far outside of their comfort zone. They stay in the niche they carved out for themselves all those years ago which is pop punk with a nice sprinkle of hardcore elements in there. That’s where their bread has been buttered for as long as I’ve been listening but on ‘Make The Most Of It’ that is not the case.

The record is an acoustic record, seven original acoustic tracks and seven live acoustic performances of their classics. In this review I’m not going to touch on the reimagined versions of tracks as it’s kind of unfair. Yes, I love all seven songs. No, they’re not as good as the original versions. So it feels unfair to talk about that side of the record critically, instead I see it as a nice little bonus present and as that it’s pretty cool.

Right off the bat, this album doesn’t grab me the way I wanted it to. All the songs are very good but it’s kind of hard to get behind the whole acoustic album for me. I don’t necessarily have an issue with the idea but none of these songs feel as impactful as they should. They all kind of feel like the one acoustic song bands throw on their records to break it up a little (also known as the Neck Deep effect) and as such no song really stands out to me. Yes, they’re all good to great songs but none of them jump off the record and scream ‘This is THE song!!!’ It is a collection of seven good songs like I have mentioned but I don’t get a sense of cohesion other than the fact they are all acoustic. I do commend the band for taking such a big swing but I feel it felt a little flat.

Lyrically however, the band are as good, if not better than they have ever been. These tracks detail the band members and their personal tragedies, struggles and battles. You really feel the pain and emotion in Jordan Pundik’s voice throughout. The opening track, ‘Dream Born Again,’ is a bittersweet love song as Pundik sings “You are the dream I thought was lost.” This is an album full of tender, sweet yet heartbreaking moments and definitely shows a different side to the band.

‘Make The Most Of It’ is definitely a good record. It’s possibly even a great record and maybe in a year from now I will get over my conceptions of what New Found Glory “should be,” and appreciate this for what it is but as it stands right now I don’t see a standout track from this album. It’s a shame because it’s clear this record means a lot to the band and the chance to make an album like this is something bands in the scene rarely get to do. Hopefully we see more of this kind of stuff in the future, alongside more traditional rock songs, as the band maybe begin to carve out a new identity for themselves. All I know is that for now, I think it could have been more.