Yup. I don’t need lyrics to be great, especially not in pop-punk, but so many of these are egregiously bad. The sometimes awkward vocal melodies they’ve been using in recent years only highlight them even more. Even some of the song titles make me cringe.
I literally have listened to the newest album once ever and halfway through it lost my attention. I used to call them one of my favorite bands too
As sketchy as a dude Steve was, I honestly felt they lost something when he left he band. Didn't he write most of their lyrics? I know, 'fuck that guy', but they never felt the same band to me and i've not been interested in anything since Radiosurgery. I saw them play as a 4-piece too and they just didn't sound as good live either.
For what it's worth after he left the band said everyone collaborated on the lyrics and they just gave Steve the main credit to keep him happy. You can decide for yourself whether that's true or not. Live, they had Ryan Key playing second guitar on one tour and I wish they'd bring that back, I think it helped their sound. I definitely feel Resurrection (which was written when emotions were running high) and Forever and Ever (which was a conscious effort to recapture their old lyrical style) are much weaker albums lyrically than Radiosurgery and the albums beforehand, but Makes Me Sick is better except for the bits where they come across as cranky old men (Party On Apocalypse and similar).
Coming Home is their best record. No debate please. But seriously I can’t pick a favorite. My favorites in no particular order: Coming Home Sticks and Stones Self-Titled Makes Me Sick Not Without A Fight
I fully recognize Makes Me Sick is a very good record, but it never really grabbed me the way their first handful of albums did. Maybe that can be attributed to not feeling as strongly about this band as I once did. My top 5, in no particular order: S/T Catalyst Sticks & Stones Coming Home Not Without a Fight
Yeah my top 5 is always the same 5 albums. Coming Home is always number 1, but the other 4 move around in the ranking. For now I'll say: Coming Home Self Titled Sticks & Stones Not Without a Fight Catalyst Makes Me Sick Nothing Gold Can Stay Forever & Ever Resurrection Radiosurgery
I don't think the production and mixing combo on Makes Me Sick gets enough credit...its incredible...Aaron Sprinkle producing and Tom Lord-Alge (wow) mixing? Can't say they've ever sounded better than on that record.
Will forever stan Radiosurgery. Yes, it was the first NFG album I ever heard so some of that is nostalgia, but it's also just a damn good record in my opinion. No waste, just crisp riffs.
I like Anthem for the Unwanted, I’m Not the One, and Memories and Battle Scars quite a bit, but the rest is pretty forgettable for me.
Sticks & Stones Catalyst Coming Home Self Titled Radiosurgery (map of your body is my go to) Not Without a Fight Makes Me Sick Nothing Gold Can Stay Resurrection Forever
I hardly ever go back to Radiosurgery, and I always say it's one of my least favorites....but whenever I DO listen to it, I realize that every song is super catchy and end up singing along. I think it's actually a good album, but all of the songs are stylistically similar and not what I typically want from New Found Glory so I guess I just have to be in the right mood to go back to it.
All the songs are super consistent and have the same energy. The downside is that they kind of all bleed together. But I really enjoy the album