It’s easy to answer the question of “who’s your favorite band?” when it’s asked. After eleven years, six full lengths, and two EPs, New Found Glory have yet to let me down on anything they’ve ever recorded. Tip of the Iceberg, their third EP, and first in 8 years, is no exception. For those who wrote New Found Glory off after their 2006 release Coming Home, get ready to eat your words, because this EP showcases everything people love about NFG and more, as it is some of their best material to date.

Produced and engineered by Paul Miner (Death By Stereo), New Found Glory have taken on a familiar but somewhat different sound on Tip of the Iceberg by creating three hardcore punk songsthat can be compared to Catalyst’s “Intro.” One of the most exciting things about this band is waiting to hear the vocals of Jordan Pundik on a new song that I haven’t heard yet, because with every new album, his voice keeps getting better, and with this release, it’s his best vocal performance yet. I was a bit skeptic at first as to how his voice would sound with the music but it turned out to work incredibly well. Each of the new original songs are very brief, but they’ll definitely leave a mark. “Tip of the Iceberg” is a great opener which will stamp the lyrics “This is just the tip of the iceberg / No bone in my body tells me I deserve her” into your brain, while “Dig My Own Grave” is the hardest of the three and features a sing-along chorus and vocals from Chad Gilbert during the bridge. My favorite track “If You Don’t Love Me” sounds like a title off Coming Home, but it’s probably one of the catchiest and fastest songs the band has done.

The majority of movies that make a lot of money at the box office are followed up with a sequel: Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Star Wars, etc. New Found Glory, a band that has already accomplished many things, are trying to make this concept work on record. So, the Coral Springs, Florida, quintet hopped into their De Lorean, signed with the label who jump started their career (Drive Thru for this one record deal), and created the sequel to the fan-favorite 2000 EP, From The Screen To Your Stereo. 

This time around, NFG recorded an entire album’s worth of covers from famous movies, such as Donnie Darko, The Breakfast Club, and Napoleon Dynamite. The album also features a large list of guests, featuring the likes of Chris Carrabba, Max Bemis, Will Pugh, Patrick Stump, Adam Lazzara, Sheri Dupree, and Lisa Loeb. The end result is eleven covers that perfectly display the band at their finest: energy, fun, and full out effort. The production of Thom Panunzio (whom produced 2006’s Coming Home) and the band is nearly perfect. You won’t find a better cover album on the market.

New Found Glory have always been a musical-staple of my summers. Since the release of Nothing Gold Can Stay, so many years ago, it seems that when the weather gets warm the pop-punk goodness of NFG is always close in tow. However, the band’s latest album hits us as the summer months fade and the air bends to the onslaught of fall. Incidentally, the band’s musical thermometer is still intact. Instead of an album full of summer-fist-pumping-anthems they’ve released the perfect music by which to watch the leaves fall from the trees.

The changing of seasons seems to be the perfect metaphor for New Found Glory; however, it’s important to note that while the color of leaves may change, the underlying nature never does.