New Found Glory released their first acoustic album ‘Make The Most Of It’ on January 20, 2023, and they’ve just kicked off a tour to go along with it.
New Found Glory is a torchlight of a pop-punk band formed in 1997 that quickly breached the limelight, helped set the stage for what the genre is today, and went on to release both a gold and platinum record. And now they’re here with their very first acoustic album.
The Story Behind The Album
Like most of New Found Glory’s music, ‘Make The Most Of It’ comes from a real place. And the place in this one is relatable, realistic, and dreary. This is because it was written following guitarist Chad Gilbert’s diagnosis of Pheochromocytoma, a rare form of cancer.
“I didn’t want this to be the ‘cancer record’ originally… But when we went on tour and people started hearing the story and connecting to it, I gave up on trying to control the narrative,” Gilbert shares.
Though ‘Make The Most Of It,’ comes from such a deep place, the lyrics are delivered with a sense of hope and optimism. It’s equal parts heartwarming and gutwrenching, and the emotional content within is so raw.
If you want to hear more about the story behind ‘Make The Most Of It,’ you should watch ‘Walk Through Fire.’ This is a video where New Found Glory details the real feelings and experiences following Gilbert’s rare cancer diagnosis.
New Found Glory is donating proceeds from every copy of ‘Make The Most Of It’ to the Pheo Para Alliance. You can also support New Found Glory and the Pheo Para Alliance by purchasing one of their Pheochromocytoma t-shirts.
‘Make The Most Of It’ Tracklist
‘Make The Most Of It’ is a 14-track acoustic album with 7 original tracks and 7 live acoustic renditions of well-loved tracks by New Found Glory. Here’s the full album tracklist:
1. Dream Born Again
2. Mouth to Mouth
3. Get Me Home
4. Watch the Lillies Grow
5. More Than Enough
6. Kiss the Floor
7. Bloom
8. Understatement (Live) – Bonus Track
9. All Downhill from Here (Live)
10. Dressed to Kill (Live)
11. The Story so Far (Live)
12. Failures Not Flattering (Live) – Bonus Track
13. My Friends over You (Live) – Bonus Track
14. Hit or Miss (Live) – Bonus Track
‘Make The Most Of It’ Lyric Analysis
‘Make The Most Of It’ is a beauty of an acoustic album. The warm buzz of its guitars couples well with the toned-down pop-punk vocals. There’s this rawness in this album’s sound that serves as a perfect means of sharing the emotion held within it.
There are also the lyrics, which do a great job of telling the message of the album. A message that seems to be captured in the name of the album. ‘Make The Most Of It,’ even when things are at their darkest. Even when you’re facing a terminal illness that makes everything seem bleak.
There’s an aspect of love and loss in the lyrics that plays out stunningly throughout the album. Here’s a bit about the new originals on the album:
7 New Tracks
The track ‘Dream Born Again’ plays a great role in introducing the hopefulness in the album. It captures that aspect of love mentioned earlier. This can be seen in the lyrics “But I won’t give in, and I won’t give up / A true connection, a deeper love.” The lyrics in this track explore not wanting to give up due to having someone in your life you deeply care about.
‘Mouth to Mouth’ tells the story of someone who has a loved one that saved them, even when they need to “walk through fire” together. It does wonderfully at sharing what it’s like to be in a dark place but to have someone there to get through that place with you. This one explores finding love and gratefulness through the hard parts of life.
Then there’s, ‘Get Me Home,’ which continues to delve into the deeper side of things. This one also explores having someone by your side in the darker times and the importance of not taking a single thing for granted. It goes through the things that still need to be done. The voice of the song still has a family, there are still vacations to go on, there are friends to be there for, and there’s a daughter whose first words are yet to be heard. This one stands out in the emotional factor, and you’ll want tissues to wipe up the tears when listening.
Then ‘Watch the Lillies Grow’ keeps up with the emotional pace well. It’s a song of love and family, but it’s also of loss. This track does well in exploring the love of family, and the comfort in death knowing there’s still beauty to be left behind. “If I lost to this sickness / I’d still smile in heaven / ‘Cause I’d watch you growing,” the lyrics beautifully capture.
‘More Than Enough’ is another optimistic song of love. This track details a loved one that’s been through, and is, “more than enough” for the voice of the song. It seems to be a track meant to imbue a sense of optimism and hope in this loved one. It’s a heartwarming song with so much regard and care in the lyrics. As they state, “we can get through anything.”
Then there’s ‘Kiss the Floor,’ which is another deeper cut. It explores the darkness in facing the end of the road, the loss of yourself. This loss is nicely contrasted with an exploration of making the most of things, even in the face of death. It serves as a thank-you note for a love that gave life its worth.
Everything wraps up with a punch in ‘Bloom.’ This track is one that encourages growth with a bitter punky aspect. “Your eyes are bloodshot / I know you’ve been crying … You thought you would change by now / But you’re still lying,” this track opens. But then it states to bloom, and says there’s still “growing left to do.” It feels like a message to those left behind, one that fits into the overall tone of the album. It says to make the most of life and allow yourself to grow, even when it hurts.
‘Make The Most Of It’ has so much to be said about it. It comes from a real place, tells an important message, and raises awareness. It benefits tons from New Found Glory’s lyrical style that draws from real-life stories and feelings to craft beautiful pictures. This is an album you have to hear for yourself because there’s so much to explore within it.
‘Make The Most Of It’ Tour
New Found Glory just left on a tour that started January 28, and there are still so many upcoming dates. There are 13 shows to go, with concerts across the U.S. You can find dates and buy tickets on New Found Glory’s tour page on their website. From the east coast to the west coast, there’s sure to be a show somewhere near you.
New Found Glory Bio
New Found Glory is a Coral Springs, Florida-based pop punk band consisting of lead vocalist Jordan Pundik, guitarist Chad Gilbert, bassist and guitarist Ian Grushka, and drummer Cyrus Bolooki. This band jumped into the music scene in 1997, about 26 years ago. In their time, they quickly found the spotlight, selling out numerous shows and selling numerous records.
And now New Found Glory is here with their very first fully acoustic album. ‘Make The Most Of It’ is a welcome change of pace in their music that stands out from the rest of their discography.
You can now listen to ‘Make The Most Of It’ on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, or your streaming platform of choice.
And don’t forget to snag some tickets to New Found Glory’s tour, which is going on right now!
Edited by: Vincent Ejimofor
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