UpBeetMusic - Album Reviews… Because That’s What We Do

Artist: New Found Glory
Album: Coming Home
Label: Geffen Records
Purchase Album
Release Date: September 19 , 2006
Rating: 3.0 Stars

You’d be lying if you grew up on pop punk and said you didn’t enjoy New Found Glory. Along with Blink-182, they wrote song after song about how you were feeling, how awkward girls were, and all of life’s problems at 16. It’s no surprise that obviously, the band were going to age and mature.

Catalyst, the fourth studio album from the band showed signs of maturity, but it was kind of a mess. It sold well, but it was a slow album, and it seemed forever to actually take the time out to try and enjoy it.

Coming Home is definitely a New Found Glory album. They’re older, bringing up kids, and marrying rather attractive indie-pop girls. This could definitely be a career defining album but it’s definitely a far reach in the New Found Glory catalog. The songs are catchy, it’s a slow paced album, and it’s a massive grower.

Thom Panunzio who’s handled the desk for Bruce Springsteen, Iggy Pop and Joan Jett, has definitely took what the guys in the band did, and he’s more than likely gone no holds barred with this album. Jordan’s voice sounds fuller, there’s a wider range of instruments and he handles the band well.

Upon first listen, I was more inclined to the first few tracks only, as soon as the title track had finished, I was bored. I gave the rest of the album a chance, but I just wanted it to match the first half. The first half was alive, upbeat and exciting. The second half seemed to lack this. I listened more, and as time grew - so did my affection for the remainder of the album. 

“Hold My Hand” is built around the piano hook to the song, and it works well. A nice little piece, that Jordan sings too. Works well. It’s in effect a classic New Found Glory track if it were given a more polished modern sound. “On My Own” completely fails at a good ending, the song sounds unfinished at the end. It’s a great track but it just seems to completely fall off a cliff. A great shame.

“Too Good To Be” is a nice acoustic track, they seem to sound better executing all the new songs. While the old songs are all classic in their own right, they just seem to be doing this so much better. It’s a fun ride. “Connected” takes guitarist and former hardcore heavyweight Chad Gilbert’s wife-to-be and her sisters as backing vocals to this song. A song about being busy and making love, it’s a happy tune. They also make an appearance on the epic closing track “Boulders”. Sheree DuPree (of Eisley) is given more of an acapella mid song, and it works extremely well. Finished the album magnificently.

The album is pulls on your heart strings like no other this year, it’s a big departure from early material. They’re having fun with this album, it sounds like a sucessfully executed experiment and they deserve high sales with this album.