New Found Glory is the second studio album and major label debut by the American rock band of the same name. It was produced and mixed by Neal Avron and released on September 26, 2000, through Drive-Thru and MCA Records. Featuring a new recording of the band's breakthrough single "Hit or Miss", the album was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with shipments of 500,000 units.
During the band's American tour in late 2009, they announced a special edition re-release of the album to celebrate its tenth anniversary. The deluxe package included new liner notes, seven b-sides and a DVD. A commemorative tour also took place with the album played live in its entirety. In recent years, the album is often cited by music critics as one of the greatest pop punk albums of all time, and was officially inducted into the Rock Sound Hall of Fame in 2012.
Background and recording
Following the underground success of debut album Nothing Gold Can Stay (1999), Drive-Thru Records founder Richard Reines had paid Eulogy Recordings $5,000 to license the album and sign the band.
Drive-Thru had initially wanted to re-release Nothing Gold Can Stay along with a newly recorded version of breakthrough single "Hit or Miss". Chad Gilbert said of the process, "So we went into the studio with Jerry Finn and recorded it with him. I don't like how it came out, at all. He was such a cool guy, but we were like, 'nah, we don't want to use it'". and was promoted with a music video for "Hit or Miss". which was released in March 2000.
From June 2000, the band took a six-week break from touring to record an album with producer Neal Avron.
Composition
Musically, New Found Glory has been described as pop punk, comprising upbeat rhythms, buzzing guitar work, and nasally vocals, Guitarist and lyricist Steve Klein originally claimed that the album was about one sole girl he dated for a year-and-a-half.
The opening track "Better Off Dead" starts with fast-paced drums and up-tempo guitar riffs, It is followed by "Dressed to Kill", which talks about touring. "Boy Crazy" talks about the typical way girls fall in love with various guys. The closing track "Ballad for the Lost Romantics" is a tongue-in-cheek number about the songs that couples listen to early in their relationships. On August 28, New Found Glory was announced for release the following month. The group played shows with Face to Face, Saves the Day, and Alkaline Trio between late August and early October. New Found Glory was released on September 26. That same month, a music video was filmed for the song. It was shot in Los Angeles, California and featured The Real World New Orleans actress Julie Stoffer. The group invited fans through their website to attend the filming, which resulted in over 1,000 people showing up and being shut down by the Los Angeles County fire marshal.
In February and March, the group supported Less Than Jake on their US headlining tour. The "Hit or Miss" music video was gaining video airplay in March. In April, the group went on tour with Glassjaw, the Movielife and Autopilot Off. On April 18, the group performed "Hit or Miss" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Following this, the band went on a tour of Europe. the band played the first seven shows on the Warped Tour until early July. They spent the following two months opening for Blink-182. The music video for "Dressed to Kill" was posted online on July 24. Due to the September 11 attacks, two shows were rescheduled for the following week. Around this time, the band members moved out from Coral Springs to San Diego, California, save for Gilbert, who moved to Los Angeles. In October and November, the band went on the Warped Inside Tour, Halfway through the trek, Bolooki broke his arm after falling off stage; Rx Bandit drummer Chris Tsagakis filled his spot. In December, the group went on a tour of the UK with support from Fenix TX.
Tenth anniversary edition and tour
thumb|left|200px|The "anniversary edition" [[cover art designed by Tim Stedman.]]
During late 2009, the band announced they were planning a commemorative tour in early 2010 to celebrate the album's tenth anniversary. A special edition re-release of the album was confirmed which featured seven bonus tracks and a DVD. Soon after in December 2009, AbsolutePunk officially announced the special anniversary edition of the album would be released on January 26, 2010, through Geffen Records.
The additional material includes new liner notes, demos, b-sides, The Story So Far DVD and a remix of debut single "Hit or Miss" by the late Jerry Finn.
Reception
Upon the album's release, it was well received by music critics. AllMusic writer Richie Unterberger awarded the album a favorable 3½ stars out of five. Despite stating the album wasn't "entirely original," he praised the record's "choppy uptempo rhythms, spiky buzzing guitars, and youthful harmonies." He also added that "there were less likable young punk bands that could have been honored with a record deal in 2000".
| rev2 = Rock Sound
| rev2Score = 9/10
| rev3 = Sputnikmusic
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Retrospective reviews
Arielle Castillo of the Miami New Times wrote a retrospective article on the album in 2010. She recalled how their "self-titled second album catapulted the Coral Springs quartet to national stardom. Released before emo had become a dirty word, the disc boasted a boisterous but sensitive pop-punk mood that was reflected on its cover - perfectly encapsulating the record's lyrical and sonic dance between teenage romantic naiveté and adulthood." Jason Tate, the founder and CEO of AbsolutePunk, wrote of the album, "Back when New Found Glory's Self-Titled album was released there weren't many that gave it a chance to be one of the building-blocks for an entire genre. However, in hindsight, it appears as though that disc may have had more of an impact than anyone ever could have guessed."