New Found Glory has learned a thing or two in their 17 years of making music. Performing since the late ‘90s, the band is a major player in the pop-punk scene. They’ve toured the globe, bounced between major and independent record labels, and have shared the stage with some of the biggest alternative rock acts on the planet. Currently, the rock foursome is focusing their efforts on promoting their latest album, Resurrection, which dropped this fall.
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GRAMMY.com caught up with frontman Jordan Pundik, who told us all about the band’s latest album, Resurrection, why he hangs around with fans post-show, and his advice for artists navigating the record label process.
Tell us about the new album, Resurrection.
I’m really excited because it’s the first record that we’ve done in a while that sort of has an overall theme to it. And it’s kind of the most uplifting but also meanest record that we’ve put out in a while. And what I mean by that is what the songs are about lyrically – being at your lowest point and feeling as if you are dealing with all these crappy situations. It’s sort of about rising above those situations and coming out stronger because of it, hence the title Resurrection.
You all recently parted ways with a band member. How has it been working as a four-piece? How has the dynamic changed?
It’s made us closer than we’ve been. Writing this record was probably one of the easiest records to write. We’re all on the same page as far as what we wanted the record to be about because we were all affected by some of those situations that we’ve been dealing with. And honestly, when we did the record, we pretty much had everything done before we even got into the studio, which has never happened before. It was a really good experience.
You’ve been praised for your open and honest song lyrics. Is it difficult to be so forthcoming in your songwriting?
No. It’s really why we do what we do. It’s a very cathartic thing to be able to turn what your thoughts are into song and have people relate to it. And I think that’s kind of the biggest thing for us. We put out a record and people listen to our songs and listen to the lyrics and apply it to their daily life. I’ve had so many people come up to me at certain points in our career where they say, “Oh man that song has really helped me through a lot” or “It helped me get over a certain situation.” So for me, that keeps me able to write from that place and it makes it even easier because we’re ourselves out there and it’s definitely a cool sort of bond with our fans in a way.
Can you explain the process of self-producing this record?
It was definitely a cool thing. We had our friend Paul Miner engineer it and he’s always awesome to work with because he is a fun loving dude and it’s always a fun time at his studio. I think it was one of those things where we’ve just been a band for so long now, I feel like we know how to write our songs. Before we went into the studio, we had all the songs done and we actually called up Neal Avron who produced our last few records and we just wanted his opinion. He had like one note for one song, which was awesome and it was a really big confidence booster, to be able to know that we can go in and not have another cook in the kitchen.
You released your latest album on vinyl. What was the decision behind releasing it on vinyl?
It is making a comeback I feel. One of the biggest vinyl sale places is Urban Outfitters, which is crazy. I think it’s definitely a cool thing and for me, when I would buy vinyl as a teenager, buying my favorite bands, you’d always get something special. It would be different colors or you would get a sticker or a patch inside the record. And we try to definitely keep that alive. We’re doing cool different colors with this edition. We have a half black, half white color and you get the album download as well so you can get it on both formats.
Why did you choose to schedule a lot of in-store performances and CD signings around this album?
Because it’s been a while since we’ve been on tour and it’s been a while since we put out a real record, we wanted to do something special for the tour that would be fun and would give people a chance to get the record early and hear some of the songs stripped down. The most fun for us that we have is being plugged in and on stage and sweaty and just going off, but it’s also kind of cool to be able to hang out and play a couple of songs acoustic too.
What do you do to try to keep your dedicated fans happy and engaged with the band?
After every show we’re always out by the buses or behind the venue hanging out with people and taking photos. I feel like that’s really important because I know oftentimes fans think a band is untouchable. … Besides feeling connected to the songs, I feel like they feel connected to us as well.
The band has been on a handful of different record labels. What advice would you give about navigating that process?
I would just say for us, even when we were on a major label for several years, the label never really interfered as far as how we wrote our songs and what we did because they knew we are a real band. Before we were on a major label, we were on a couple of indie labels and had already gained traction on our own without them so they kind of had just left us alone. … Being young and being 19 [or] 20 years old on a major label is crazy. The influences are strong because you are young. So for me, I would say just stay true to who you are and what you want to do. That’s kind of always what we’ve done and I feel like that is kind of a big factor of why we are still around.
