New Found Glory — Coming Home

Coming Home

Universal

Paul Budel (CHARTattack)

09/19/2006 10:23am

New Found Glory have ditched their skate-punk drums and buzzsaw guitar sound in favour of a mellower approach. They're still determined to make every track an anthem, but are also more willing to take their time to let the songs breathe. Lyrically, the band stick to the tried and true topic that they've built their career on, relationships. But singer Jordan Pundik definitely benefits from the more laid-back approach. His voice never comes off as whiny as it previously did. Unfortunately, this new approach lends itself more readily to ballads, something the band willingly embrace on "Make Your Move," "Too Good To Be" and "Boulders." Their bratty appeal flies out the window without their breakneck tempos. Still, this is NFG's fourth album, and clearly a change was necessary. The decision to tone down the punk to explore their pop sensibilities allows the band to mature a little more gracefully.