Album Review: New Found Glory Drop New Album “Make The Most Of It” Ahead of New Tour
–by Robert Wilkins
New Found Glory will be hitting the road soon to promote an exciting new album that will be out on January 20th. The Florida based band consists of Jordan Pudnik on lead vocals, Ian Grushka on bass, Chad Gilbert on guitar, and Cyrus Bolooki on drums. The new album titled Make the Most of It is a bit of a transformation from the performances on their previous recordings.
This new album has seven new songs and seven reworked gems from their catalog that long time listeners have come to love. What makes this album so different is the fact that it is entirely acoustic. The record, however, doesn’t lose any of its edginess or any of the appeal that has helped the band gain fans the world over.
As the story goes, the inspiration for the record was a diagnosis of cancer by the band’s guitarist Chad Gilbert. With titles such as “Mouth to Mouth”, “Get Me Home”, “Kiss the Floor” and “bloom” it becomes clear that the seven new songs are in reference to the band’s real-life challenges.
While the themes of these songs can come across as somber and poignant you can’t help but notice that they are delivered in the most heartfelt way possible. Beyond the subject matter you are sure to notice the feelings of strength, hope and looking forward to the future. Not to mention, they just plain sound great.
The song “Watch the Lilies Grow” is a perfect example of the realism interwoven into their lyrics regarding Gilbert’s cancer diagnosis. While a string section plays behind the band, the lyrics say that “if I lost to this sickness/I’d still smile in heaven /cause I’d watch you grow /and send signals/ a sudden breeze or a falling star/because you were mine”. All I can say is “wow!” What a powerful song and it’s delivered so brilliantly. If this doesn’t cause a visceral response in your body or a lump in your throat you are probably already dead. It is truly a beautiful piece of ART.
The next seven songs are recreated, acoustic versions of past hits delivered with the same passion the band is known for. Some of these songs include “My Friends Over You”, “All Down Hill From Here” and “Dressed to Kill”. If you aren’t already familiar with NFG, you should know that these three songs alone have garnered over 52 million views on YouTube alone.
I can truly not convey how much this record rocks without electric instrumentation. The first time I passively listened to it I had barely even noticed that it was “unplugged”. The songs, arrangements and musical ability of this band are truly second to none. Dare I say that this album is reminiscent to me of a younger generation’s version of Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York? Just like all my favorite records, I am liking this one more each time I listen to it.
The band starts their tour Saturday January 28th at Delmar Hall in St. Louis, Mo. (Tickets for that show are available HERE) The tour is currently scheduled to run through March, ending in Miami Beach, Florida. Venues are already selling out so you had better get your tickets fast before you miss out on what I’m sure will be one of the best shows of the year. For tickets to any of the shows on the tour please checkout Newfoundglory.com/tour for tickets and VIP options.
Make the Most of It Track Listing:
- Dream Born Again
- Mouth to Mouth
- Get Me Home
- Watch the Lilies Grow
- More Than Enough
- Kiss the Floor
- Bloom
- Understatement
- All Downhill from Here
- Dressed to Kill
- The Story So Far
- Failures Not Flattering
- My Friends Over You
- Hit or Miss
Roberts writing is deep and insightful. Inspiring me to listen to music with a more open mind and ear. Can’t wait to listen after reading.