New Found Glory - The Path of Resurrection

It’s been a while between drinks for Florida outfit New Found Glory, but the boys are back, and ready to reclaim the title as pop-punk kings. ’Resurrection’ will see the group embark on a cathartic new path, teaming fresh melodies with many of the distinct rock nuances fans have come to know and love. A testament to the natural maturation and creative vision of one of the music industries key pioneers, ‘Resurrection’ is a walking attestation of sorts – punk isn’t dead. Bridget Judd spoke to drummer Cyrus Bolooki.
As far as performing goes, how does Resurrection differ from your previous albums? What can fans expect?
We all are very proud of Resurrection — we feel that it is definitely one of the best New Found Glory records to date! I think that this record is different than other NFG records. One of the main differences is that when writing this record, we really focused on the fact that we are now a four piece, with only one guitarist, and therefore we tried to write songs that didn’t rely on a lot of layered guitars or any other studio trick like that. It’s a little more straightforward than past releases for us, just a guitar riff, bass, drums, and vocals…
I think fans will like this record because it still brings the energy that NFG has always been known for — and also stays with our theme of catchy lyrics and singalong parts. When playing these new songs live, I think they will blend in with our entire catalogue and make for an overall great show.
Your music to date seems to be very much rooted in, and inspired by, personal experiences – what kind of content can we expect on your latest release? Is there a thematic progression to it?
Our music is always inspired by personal experiences and in general anything around us. This record is no exception. However, in the past we had been writing a majority of songs about relationships and things like that. There are still a few songs that deal with those themes, but on Resurrection there are also songs that deal with other topics, like how to deal with hard times, overcoming and getting through struggles in your life, and just life in general.
If there is an overall theme for the record, it could definitely be summed up by the word Resurrection. I think there is a lot to say about being able to move forward from tough times; to look forward instead of dwelling on the past; and to really be able to look inside and think about how you want to live your life.
Were you inspired by anything in particular in the writing of Resurrection?
When writing this record, as we had just gone from a five piece to a four piece, we tried to look at bands in the past that were able to achieve a huge sound from just one guitarists. Bands like Rage Against The Machine and Pantera, although they sound nothing like NFG, were inspirations in the sense that those bands were able to achieve a lot with only one guitarist; and even though there are studio tricks out there that can allow one to mimic having an infinite number of players in a band, a lot of these older records were made with only one guitar track or riff going at once, not multiple layers of guitars.
Luckily for us all of the writing, both musically and lyrically, came naturally even with all of the circumstances at the time. At the end of the day we just did what we always do — try and write music that we think not only our fans would enjoy, but also we would enjoy playing live on stage. We tried to keep the same energy and power that NFG has always been known for in these songs, and we still continued to write songs that could appeal to anyone yet still come from our own personal thoughts and experiences.
Was there an ‘end goal’ in mind, in regards to the kind of statement you wanted the album to make?
At the early stages of writing, I think we were just focusing on writing any kind of songs/lyrics that felt natural to us. However, I think after we finished writing the song “Resurrection”, which actually happened pretty early in the process, we started to realize that the theme of that song could take on larger meaning for the record, and that some of the other songs we had been starting to write were similar in theme. So in that sense, there was a little bit of a statement to be made. But overall, like all of our past records, we really just try to take a “snapshot” of our own lives and experiences at the time of writing/recording, and that’s usually what comes out in our music and lyrics. Our ‘end goal’ with any record is always the same — music that’s catchy yet powerful; fun yet realistic; and stuff that both fans and us can enjoy equally.
With seven previous studio albums under your belt, did you find the writing process easier this time around?
The writing process was a little different this time around, as we had just gone from five members to four, however, it was enjoyable and fairly relaxing overall. A few of us lived pretty close to each other, and for the most part, the writing process would go like this:
I would drive up to Chad’s house with a portable recording rig and have him record some guitar riffs and/or full songs on guitar. I would then take those tracks back to my house and lay some drums over the tracks and send them out to everyone. After a little bit, we would have some rough lyrics written and then Jordan and I would again drive up to Chad’s house and record Jordan singing these lyrics while we were literally sitting at Chad’s dining room table! By doing this so early on in the process, we actually made so much progress that we pretty much had the entire album written and finished before we even stepped foot in the studio to record a note! This made for a very easy recording experience and allowed us to focus on the big picture and record as a whole as opposed to worrying about a whole bunch of things while we were tracking the album.
When can we expect to see you guys in Australia?
I’m glad you asked! New Found Glory will be back in Australia in February as part of Soundwave XV…we couldn’t be happier to be coming back as we always have fun in Australia and we have so many great fans there!