Sell-outs they aren't. As a matter of fact, MCA/Drive-Thru recording artists New Found Glory are probably one of the hardest working acts in music today, releasing two albums and an EP in the last three years and relentlessly touring all over the country with acts like Less Than Jake, The Alkaline Trio, and Face to Face.
Born in crocodile-infested, hurricane-riddled Coral Springs, Florida, in the summer of '97, New Found Glory is the product of many different musical tastes, ranging from punk to emo to hardcore, all of which shine through in the music. The band kicked off their recording career with the Drive-Thru release Nothing Gold Can Stay, an awesome collection of catchy, poppy punk songs, followed by From the Screen to Your Stereo, an EP full of covers of movie themes ranging from "That Thing You Do" to "The Never Ending Story" (my favorite), and their newest, released in September of 2000 on MCA/Drive-Thru, which has been getting airplay and attention from the world-at-large largely thanks to the single 'Hit or Miss', a rocking song about a missed chances and broken hearts. There is also another EP, called All About the Girls, which is unbelievably hard to find.
NFG's recent success isn't solely because of their badass albums, but also thanks to their energetic live show. I've seen them twice so far (one more pending in February), and it's an extreme shock to both hardcore fans and the band both if the audience doesn't sing every single word to every song . Just the sheer energy they put into their live shows makes my head spin.
From when I discovered NFG in June opening for Less Than Jake, it's been an obsession for me. Their songs have hooks that stick with you for a long time and at the same time can rock like no one I've ever heard before. If you don't have any of their music already, you should check out "Hit or Miss" at mp3.com or just run out and buy the albums. Also, if you are up for a trip, they'll be playing with Less Than Jake, Teen Idols, and the Anti-Heroes in Charlottesville, VA, on February 18th.