New Found Glory
Hits (2008)
Brian Shultz
While a greatest hits compilation for a band always seems rather unnecessary, the fact that aside from, say "My Friends Over You" and "Hit or Miss," New Found Glory never really had hits per se renders their record of the same name a similar futility…unless, of course, there are some contractual obligations that needed fulfillment. But while no example of New Found Glory's glossy pop-punk bravado ever actually reached #1, they've clearly managed to write and record a number of enjoyable songs over the years, whether applied with the guilty pleasure tag or not.
Hits opens with "Situations," which was recorded around the same time as their 2006 snoozefest, Coming Home. Luckily, it's far better than the entirety of that album, with a bounce and vigor that was largely vacant there. The record then transitions to New Found Glory's eponymous major label debut with "Hit or Miss (Waited Too Long)" and the fantastic (no, seriously) "Dressed to Kill." This was easily the band's best era, but unfortunately there really isn't any other arguable "hits" from that album. Plus, the band hand-picked all the songs, after all.
The listener is then guided through the rest of the band's career with snippets off each following album. Sticks & Stones bears "My Friends Over You," "Head on Collision" (which seems thankfully less balladic than when initially released) and the picker-upper "Understatement." The superior Catalyst offers "All Downhill from Here," "I Don't Wanna Know" -- which dulls the momentum a bit -- and "Failure's Not Flattering." "It's Not Your Fault" and "Hold My Hand" represent Coming Home, and while repeated listens have made them continuously less cringeworthy, they pale terribly in comparison to the other songs on the album. 2004 eMusic single "Constant Static" is the last rarity offered up, and it wraps up things in a sufficiently catchy fashion.
While the need for its existence might be questioned by fans (and not just punk purists), Hits is an apt overview of New Found Glory's career thus far, as much as it ignores the band's pre-MCA days and extensive catalog of covers.