New Found Glory

Coming Home

Written by: PP on 06/10/2006 12:54:50

New Found Glory's sixth full length album "Coming Home" has been received with mixed feelings from press and fans alike. From the band that brought us some of the most influential (and best) pop punk records of the last decade, any switch from their much-loved sound can not be met with much else than criticism by the fans. To depart completely from their ultra-catchy uptempo pop punk sound in favour of a CD full of slow ballads is a sign of the band maturing, something that was already evident on the boring predecessor "Catalyst". That's not to say it is a bad thing for a band to mature, but as we have recently seen bands like Yellowcard and Sugarcult forefront the maturity path with miserably boring albums this year, you couldn't help but be initially sceptical when NFG spoke to the press of a more 'mature' sound prior to the release of the album.

It is good, then, that while the band has definitely abandoned their roots and all connections to anything punk rock, they haven't lost their ability to write excessively catchy pop songs. Both "Oxygen" and "Hold My Hand" beg you to hum along Jordan's catchy du-du, du-duu-du-dududu's, and the addition of classical piano in "It's Not Your Fault" suits the ballad perfectly. However, this is also the biggest problem on the record. While every song is catchier than the one before it, you can't help but miss the tempo and the raw melody the band used to charm with. This is now replaced with the same poppy, overproduced melody you hear in commercial radios, and while it's guaranteed to sell 100k records, it also alienates many of the band's long-term fans who've been waiting for their 'coming home' (pun intended). Jordan has lowered his range on the album downwards to reduce his nasal voice, which neither will go well down the throats of the older fans.

Essentially, "Coming Home" sounds like everything you're fed on the radio today, except it sounds three times better. The problem lies in that the entire album is one long radio-friendly ballad. The high-energy jumps of their renowned liveshows are guaranteed to be replaced by the boring standing-still in front of your microphone-style utilized by most mainstream rock bands, pushing the band even further away from its punk rock roots. It's a shame that the band who brought us songs like "Winter of '95" and "Never Snows In Florida" has entirely removed the melodic distortion-filled songs many of us grew up in favour of less-interesting but great ballads.

7

Download: Oxygen, Hold My Hand
For the fans of: Yellowcard, Sugarcult
Listen: Myspace

Release date 19.09.2006
Geffen

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