New Found Glory (album) - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
College Music Journal	(favorable)
Kerrang!
Miami New Times	(favorable)
NME	(8/10)
PopMatters	(favorable)
Rock Sound	(9/10)

Upon the album's release, it was well received by music critics. Allmusic writer Richie Unterberger awarded the album a favorable 3½ stars out of five. Despite stating the album wasn't "entirely original," he praised the record's "choppy uptempo rhythms, spiky buzzing guitars, and youthful harmonies." He also added that "there were less likable young punk bands that could have been honored with a record deal in 2000". Michael Dabaie of College Music Journal was also favourable in his review. Comparing the band to Green Day, Face to Face and Blink-182, he stated, "New Found Glory hits on a winning formula on its self-titled record: Without treading too far from the aggro path blazed years ago by bands like Dag Nasty, the quintet delivers catchy pop-punk riffs, smooth vocal harmonies and songs that are angst-ridden without being nihilistic. These guys exude sincerity, and lyrics like "The needle on my record player is wearing thin/This record has been playing since the day you've been with him" will ring true with everyone who ever wore out their Descendents records during a bad breakup."

"Back when New Found Glory's self-titled album was released, there weren't many that gave it a chance to be one of the building-blocks for an entire genre. However, in hindsight, it appears as though that disc may have had more of an impact than anyone ever could have guessed."

—Jason Tate, founder of AbsolutePunk, describing the albums impact

British rock magazine, Kerrang! awarded the album a maximum five K! score. Describing the release as the band's "essential purchase," they also wrote, "Marking one of the biggest and quickest improvements in alternative music, the band's major label debut hurled them to the forefront of the punk scene. Packed with infectious melodies and sing-along anthems, it would see them jostling with the likes of Blink-182 for the genre's crown." Fellow British magazine NME, awarded the album 8/10 and opined the band had, "spot-on vocal harmonies that add just the right amount of pop tinge to relentlessly hard-charging tunes." Writing for webzine PopMatters, Andy Argyrakis was of the view that the band succeeded in writing simple, easily relatable songs that translate well in a live setting. He also added that, "The band’s sound runs the gamut of many of the popular punk bands of today — MXPX, Blink-182 and SR-71." Reviewing the 10th Anniversary Edition in 2010, Adam Kennedy of Rock Sound explained that the re-issue was a "timely reminder of their bratty pop-punk beginnings. If heartfelt accounts of adolescent love and loss is what you're looking for, New Found Glory is as relevant today as ten years previous." Kerrang! also issued a new article covering its tenth anniversary re-issue. George Garner wrote "without them, pop-punk would be missing some of its most anthemic moments, and All Time Low wouldn't have their name."

Arielle Castillo of the Miami New Times wrote a retrospective article on the album in 2010. She recalled how their "self-titled second album catapulted the Coral Springs quartet to national stardom. Released before emo had become a dirty word, the disc boasted a boisterous but sensitive pop-punk mood that was reflected on its cover - perfectly encapsulating the record's lyrical and sonic dance between teenage romantic naiveté and adulthood." PopMatters writer Melissa Bobbit, whilst reviewing a show on the anniversary tour, enthused "what a blessing it is to still have NFG around, on this, the 10th anniversary of their self-titled record. This tour served as a collection of whimsical snapshots in their prolific career. New Found Glory’s influence is vastly felt today. A testament to that was supporting act Fireworks, whose whiplash sound and choreographed jumping all came from the pages of the NFG guidebook to punk-pop." Jason Tate, the founder and CEO of AbsolutePunk, wrote of the album, "Back when New Found Glory's Self-Titled album was released there weren't many that gave it a chance to be one of the building-blocks for an entire genre. However, in hindsight, it appears as though that disc may have had more of an impact than anyone ever could have guessed." Mark Hoppus, who later produced the band's sixth studio album, said of New Found Glory: "It was one of those records that never found its way out of my CD player. New Found Glory just had something different and unique. I was really drawn to their melodies, and their guitar parts were more interesting and more creative than a lot of the stuff that was going on." It was also explained that when Jared Logan was producing Fall Out Boy's debut album, he asked bassist Pete Wentz about the sound the band had desired for recording. Wentz responded by "handing over the first two New Found Glory records".

In November 2004, Kerrang! released a feature called "666 Songs You Must Own". In the "New School Punk" category, lead single "Hit or Miss" was placed at number fourteen. Earlier in 2001, Rock Sound placed the album at number forty five in its annual "Critics' Poll of 2001", while in 2012 it was formally inducted into its official Hall of Fame. Later that year, the album again featured, this time at number thirty nine in the magazines "101 Modern Classics", a list honouring the best albums between 1997-2012. Ben Patashnik expressed that "with this album, NFG capture the best parts of summer – the girls, the sun, the house parties, the heartache, the misery – and cram all of that into 36 hook-laden minutes. Few bands have stayed truer to their roots as NFG over the years, and New Found Glory started it all."

Publication	Country	Nominated Work	Accolade	Year	Rank
Kerrang!	United Kingdom	"Hit or Miss"	666 Songs You Must Own: New School Punk	2004	14
Rock Sound		New Found Glory	Critics' Poll	2001	45
			Hall of Fame	2012	-
			101 Modern Classic Albums		39