New Found Glory / International Superheroes of Hardcore – Tip Of The Iceberg EP / Takin’ It Ova

New Found Glory is a great pop-punk band – well, they were. The band epitomized the emerging style at the turn of the century and introduced countless kids, like myself, into the beautiful genre that is punk. Sadly that “greatness” is no longer as evident. One listen to the rather dismal Coming Home and that point is driven home. But this is the year of re-invention and New Found Glory are doing just that.

After escaping from their major label contract, the band released the great sequel in their From the Screen to Your Stereo series on the label that started their career – Drive-Thru Records. Now in label limbo, the band made a choice that shocked everyone: they signed to Bridge Nine Records – a Boston hardcore label and their first release on the label is one that will have fans talking for a long time.

It’s a two disc release, the first being New Found Glory‘s Tip of the Iceberg EP. The EP features six songs, three of which are originals alongside three covers. The originals see the Florida quintet returning to their Self-Titled era sound. Hardcore gang vocals rattle across the backdrop as Jordan Pudnik’s signature croon sings overtop. He’s lost the perfectly polished tone that embodied Coming Home and gone for a much stronger, punkier approach while still maintaining that pop edge. The music is heavier with stronger breakdowns and quicker drumbeats than anything they’ve done in a while.

For the covers, the band picked songs from Gorilla Biscuits, Lifetime and Shelter; giving their fans a glimpse at what influenced them. They’re songs that are somewhat difficult to comment on because if to say I’m immensely familiar with the originals would be a lie but to say that New Found Glory butchered them would also be a bald face lie.

Still, the songs on the EP are missing something. They’re lacking a certain element that made their Self Titled a classic and they never touch on it. Lucky for them, they touch on a different element that will make the second disc a new classic for fans.

Takin’ it Ova is the twelve song debut from the band’s alter-ego The International Superheroes of Hardcore (ISHC). It sees guitarist Chad Gilbert taking over the vocal duties for the first time since he left Shai Hulud twelve years ago and Pudnik taking over Gilbert’s guitar role. The songs are vastly different than anything you would expect to hear from NFG as they’re full blown hardcore songs that fit right in the Bridge Nine roster. Gilbert’s vocals are strong and the gang vocals only help cement that ideal of community. Every song lasts just around the one minute mark, making them lightning quick bullets of hardcore energy that would fit alongside some of the genre’s greats and is almost impossible to describe of a New Found Glory side project.

However, the real gem of Takin’ It Ova, and the element which will make this record a classic in their fans’ eyes, is the pure comical genius behind the lyrics. The band is not taking themselves remotely seriously, having a good time and it comes through. Songs that praise the safety of seat belts, condemn the use of swear words, and call out heroes like Spiderman, Superman, X-man, Hulk and more for selling out and making movies litter the album at every turn. Screamo Gotta Go hilarious states the obvious and Fashion Show deconstructs the untold fashion “dress code” of the hardcore scene. Back To the Future opens with Gilbert uttering the famed words “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need no… ROADS!!!” before breaking into a song that mixes references to old school bands like Cro-mags and Minor Threat and venues like CBGBs and 9:30 in DC alongside Marty McFly shout outs. Yeah, crazy, but it works.

So while the original New Found Glory disc may be lacking a certain something, it shows promise for the band’s full length and if they’re able to have the same fun that they had making Takin’ it Ova than it will be an album worth waiting for. Until then, Bridge Nine has given us this to rock out to and that’s not nearly a bad thing.