Coming Home (New Found Glory album)
Coming Home is the fifth studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was produced by the band along with Thom Panunzio and released on September 19, 2006, through Geffen Records. Written and demoed at the Morning View Mansion in Malibu, California during 2005, Coming Home is lyrically themed around being away from home and loved ones. The album marks a departure from the band's earlier work, implementing a more layered and mid-tempo sound that features various piano, keyboard, and string instrumentation more comparable to classic rock than their usual pop punk style.
Despite some backlash due to the change in musical style, Coming Home garnered positive reviews and retrospective commentary. Particularly noted for its matured outlook, the songs are considered the most "mellow" of New Found Glory's career. One single, "It's Not Your Fault", was released. The album's commercial performance was more muted, with it selling well substantially less than previous albums Sticks and Stones and Catalyst. The album was the band's last release on a major label, as they left Geffen Records the following year before signing with independent labels Bridge Nine and Epitaph Records.
Background
Following the release and prolonged touring of fourth album Catalyst, which included a supporting slot on Green Day's American Idiot Tour, the band were left drained and sought an extended break. They were able to take two months off and regroup afterward, something they had not previously done during their career. The quintet decided to take on a new approach for the writing process of Coming Home, rather than the usual "tour bus and dressing room jams", they moved into a house together in Malibu, California called the Morning View Mansion to write and demo new material. Despite this, main composer and lead guitarist, Chad Gilbert took a book containing over 40 riff ideas that he had written during the previous tour into the mansion. Drummer Cyrus Bolooki explained that, "The whole idea is that we can be sitting around, watching TV, and suddenly be like, 'Hey, I've got an idea. Let's do this'. We've always wanted to do something like this, but we were never sure just how to do it. I know all the guys are really excited to get into the house, hang out and make some music." The band spent four months in Malibu with studio engineer and long-term friend Paul Miner, from August 2005 through November, eventually leaving with 14 finished demos to present to their record label.Recording
The demos finalised in Malibu caught the attention of Thom Panunzio, who aside from his production work, served as an executive for Geffen Records. The band were flattered by Panunzio's interest, immediately agreeing to the collaboration. The quintet had decided against working with Neal Avron, who had produced the band's three previous albums, as they wanted to try something different. The band's frontman, Jordan Pundik explained that, "We love Neal. Neal's amazing and he's one of our really close friends. But after three records with him, after writing those records and a lot of other bands started to come out and get kind of popular, we kind of wanted to try something different." After hearing a demo of "On My Mind", Panunzio was keen to work on the project. Pundik recalled that, "one of the songs that really got him to say. 'OK, I want to do this' was that song 'On My Mind.' That song really got him. Thom's done everything from like the Go-Go's to Bob Dylan, so he's very well rounded in music."The band entered Jackson Browne's private recording studio named Groovemasters in January 2006, after Panunzio had suggested it would be a suitable recording location. New Found Glory strove to achieve a "clean kind of classic guitar sound" when recording, using a Vox AC30 amp on almost the entire record. The amp, known for its "jangly" high-end sound, was used with several classic guitars in the studio including a Fender Tele, Les Paul, Gibson 335-S and a Rickenbacker. Gilbert enthused that, "It sounds huge. When you put our old records on and our new record, there's actually less guitars on our new album, but it sounds bigger." Jordan Pundik likewise accounted; "he brought this classic vibe to it, especially with the tones he got. We learned we don't have to double-up 15 Mesa cabinets and make it all distorted to make it sound big." Pundik also spoke of the band's desire to challenge themselves musically; "Usually with every record we think, 'We’ve got to put the fast punk song on it or people won't like it', but this wasn't anything like that." He did admit that around thirty songs were written, including some fast-paced songs, but were excluded as, " didn't really fit." Steve Klein, the band's principal lyricist and rhythm guitarist, also praised Panunzio for helping the band bring new elements to their sound. Describing the sessions as "best recording experience ever", he added, "It's this empty mansion where we were able to set up all our equipment, we just woke up and wrote songs. We were really relaxed and able to set our own pace. Everything about the record is way more classic rock sounding because Thom has done a bunch of classic rock records like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen and Ozzy, and the list goes on and on. He kind of brought this different element to our band. This disc is less guitar driven and more melody driven, more than any other of our records."
One track, the folk-tinged acoustic song "Too Good to Be", was not written until the latter part of recording, only being penned in minutes whilst in the studio. Jordan Pundik joked that, "the funny thing is, that's the song you'd think we wrote sitting on a beach around a fire." While all the songs were primarily written on guitar, Chad Gilbert also tracked melodies on piano, despite his limited ability on the instrument. Gilbert explained that, "When we wrote the songs a couple of songs started out on piano, like the melodies. So in pre-production, I did the piano. But I'm not very good, I can write melodies, but I just use two fingers, my pointer fingers." Panunzio subsequently brought in Benmont Tench to play the keyboard, piano and organ parts throughout the album. Paul Buckmaster conducted string sections for "When I Die" and "Boulders", while indie rock band Eisley, comprising three sisters including Gilbert's then-fiancée Sherri DuPree, provided female backing vocals for seven tracks on the album. Once the process of mixing and mastering the record had finalised, the band asked Autumn de Wilde, best known for her portraiture and commercial photography of musicians, to shoot the cover art and liner photography for the album booklet. Chad Gilbert later declared that he was "really proud", citing the music as "the most uplifting" the band had ever written, while Pundik added that Coming Home would be "the one that will stand the test of time."
Composition
Music
Music critics agreed that Coming Home represents a more "mature" sound than previously heard from the band. The album's mellow tone and more layered sound is attributed to the inclusion of other musical instruments such as keys, piano, and strings, concurrent with their traditional rock-based setup of guitar, bass and drums. Many fans of the band were initially taken aback by the album's direction. Indeed, music journalist Nick Mindicino later reflected on how the band had "crafted something truly ingenious and unexpected: a somber, honest, polished and pop-alternative record." Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan noted how the band "traded their snotty pop punk for a warmer, softer, and often ballad-driven form of alternative rock" on Coming Home. In a 2014 article for Contactmusic, Joe DeAndrea likewise noted how the album had "a much tighter sound musically with a focus on melodies and "mature" lyrics as opposed to rockin’ pop-punk riffs." Most distinctive among the musical arrangements on Coming Home is that only three of the album's thirteen tracks contain high tempos of over 130 beats per minute. Unlike their earlier work, with fast-paced pop punk songs such as "My Friends Over You" and "Truth of My Youth", various tracks such as "Oxygen", "Make Your Move", "When I Die", "Connected", and "Boulders" contain "moderately slow" tempos of no more than 80 bpm.Prior to the album's release, Chad Gilbert explained, "The songs are all pretty different, sonically speaking" and said that lead single "It's Not Your Fault", has "big, full guitars and a piano line that goes throughout. It's pretty anthemic, and Jordan's voice has never sounded better." The guitarist also noted that the album's cleaner guitar sound was attributed to little distortion effects used in comparison to earlier albums, while describing "On My Mind" as "this modern New Found Glory twist on a classic rock song." Brendan Manley of Alternative Press called the album a "statement of sentiment that stands apart in the NFG discography", while The Palm Beach Post opined that, "Coming Home is similar, in spirit, to the 1990s crooning of Chicago's brilliant Smoking Popes. Jordan Pundik's vocal delivery curls into sweetness, rather than a snarl. Wrapped around journal-entry cute lines on the boppy, '80s-ish "Hold My Hand" and the earnestly protective pleadings of "It's Not Your Fault." Jack Foley of Indie London wrote "Gilbert’s guitars are crisp, lively and fresh, while the vocal melodies are strong enough to have everyone singing along at some point. Take the feel-good romp that’s "Too Good To Be" for example. It's vibrant in every sense, boasting some gloriously breezy guitar riffs and some fine vocal layering, with almost hand-clapping beats."
The Salt Lake Tribune said that the album "largely drops the punk-by-numbers that dominated past efforts to get a little more personal lyrically, thus becoming more approachable." Alan Sculley of The Daily Herald explained that, "Coming Home pretty much leaves any punk element behind. The songs still rock - just note the wallop delivered by "Hold My Hand" or "Connected." But the band pulls back on the tempos of virtually all of the songs." Scene Point Blank writer Chris Abraham noted, "Coming Home still encompasses the things that make New Found Glory great. Relatable lyrics, hooks so melodic and catchy that my hands are red from not buying a mitt, and, despite a mellower tone, I could still imagine myself going fucking nuts singing along to these songs live." AbsolutePunk founder Jason Tate warned that, "it's crucial you abandon any pre-conceived expectations for this album. If you're anticipating the band's previous albums re-hashed, you're going to be completely let-down. While the choruses and sing-a-long hooks could compete with the best on any of their previous albums - it's the slower melodic approach to the songs that truly makes the album come alive and fully breathe." Rae Alexandra of Kerrang! magazine called the album a "massive departure" and suggested that, "NFG are taking what will be, by far, the biggest gamble of their career. Some of you won't even recognise them immediately; it's not fast, it's not forced, but - in an entirely new way - it soars." In an earlier Kerrang! article discussing the album, Alexandra wrote that "It's Not Your Fault" displays "more maturity - and piano - than ever before", while "When I Die" is "low key with orchestral accents", making it "one of the most beautiful moments on Coming Home." Corey Apar of AllMusic was in agreement and stated that "from the album's packaging to the comfortable nature of the music, it actually feels more mature in a way that is catchy without seeming to care about radio accessibility." Killian Young of Consequence said the album was "buoyed by jubilant piano flourishes" and "features strong melodies and more refined love songs."