New Found Glory - Radiosurgery

Coral Springs, Florida's finest New Found Glory are back with their first studio effort in 2 years, Radiosurgery. The follow up to 2009's Not Without A Fight finds the legendary pop-punkers at it again with an eclectic and well balanced effort that speaks to their diehard fanbase and will attract some new school fans as well in the process.

The disc opens up well with the blaring title track as its first single, a simple structured, good natured tune with the strong and familiar vocal work of Jordan Pundik bringing back memories of fans who've listened to the band since their Drive-Thru Records heydays. "Anthem For the Unwanted" is a more fast paced, straightforward rocker that features fantastic drumwork from Cyrus Bolooki, who adds a certain distinct element that is present in every New Found Glory song heard to date. "I'm Not The One" is a simple structured, fast paced pop-punk delight that serves as a blueprint for how to create solid pop-punk songs with hard edged guitar riffs and consistent vocal control all the way throughout. My favorite song off the disc is "Ready, Aim, Fire!" an energetic, fun filled pop-punk romp that features a rush of melodic guitar riffs that is courtesy of lead guitarist Steve Klein and is a joy to listen to all the way throughout.

We head into the disc's second half with "Summer Fling, Don't Mean A Thing" a fast paced, melodic rocker that sees the band amping up the intensity just a bit, but still retaining that mid tempo melodic flavor that is omnipresent on many of the tracks found here. "Caught in The Act" features a guest vocal performance from Bethany Cosentino from the indie band Best Coast, and she adds a strong melodic output that melds in surprisingly well with the exploding pop-punk rhythms heard in abundance here. The disc's finale begins to set in with "Trainwreck", bringing down the ambient energy just a little bit to draw everything to a close and also provide the listener with a little bit of variety to look for on this album. "Map Of Your Body" closes it all out with a full fledged melodic blast that is in of itself a synopsis of all the sounds that we've encountered thus far on this album. New Found Glory were for me part of the trinity of bands that practically defined my high school years, the other two being Something Corporate and The Starting Line. New Found Glory defined the essence that is pop-punk music and practically developed the blueprint for it that is being used by countless bands in the pop-punk scene today. They are definitely a band that we'll be talking about 20 to 30 years from now.

All in all, a consistent and solid effort from New Found Glory, who continue to play in their comfort zone and deliver to their fans what they're used to hearing all these years: consistent and melodic pop-punk tunes with lyrics that speak directly to them.

                                                                                                                       Album Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:

1. Radiosurgery
2. Anthem For the Unwanted
3. Drill It In My Brain
4. I'm Not The One
5. Ready, Aim, Fire!
6. Dumped
7. Summer Fling, Don't Mean A Thing
8. Caught In The Act (f/Bethany Cosentino)
9. Memories and Battle Scars
10. Trainwreck
11. Map Of Your Body