"Radiosurgery"

Veteran band New Found Glory releases its seventh studio album, "Radiosurgery," today (Oct. 4) and not a minute too soon.

New Found Glory has been producing hits for more than 12 years now. This experience has taken its performance of the pop punk genre to an unmatched level, and it's proudly shown on this album.

This is the first new material I have heard out of the band since its 2004 album, "Catalyst." There's little change in sound and style that I notice. In some cases this would indicate a stagnating, boring band, but not with "Radiosurgery." If it's not broken, don't fix it.

New Found Glory continues to stay true to its pop punk roots to produce an album perfect for blaring out of your car speakers this fall. The band knew exactly what kind of sound it wanted to produce for this album, and executed it  to great success.

The album's only single, also titled "Radiosurgery," features the distinct vocals of Jordan Pundik. Although this track may not have the breakneck pacing and energy of other tracks, the overall composition and lyrics definitely prepare the listener to be operated on with a little bit of "radio surgery."

"I'm Not the One" is probably my favorite track, if I had to choose. It has a tempo that picks up quickly, and then keeps rolling at a healthy pace.

This song's lyrical content is like much of the album, mainly going over various relationship issues. While this kind of theme is often approached with melancholy and brooding, "Radiosurgery" tackles it in a fun way that stays upbeat.

In "Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing," strong drums and bass work well off simple guitar riffs. The more guitar-heavy track, "Ready, Aim, Fire!" has a normal rhythm at first, but really sets itself apart with a powerful ending. It's the kind of buildup that has you subconsciously turning up the volume the farther you get into the track.

Overall I found this album to be refreshingly fun and upbeat. The tracks are enjoyable even after multiple plays and seldom get old.

The band's webpage on altpress.com offers a creative way to explore and preview the album. Listeners play a game like "Operation," basically performing surgery on a radio to unlock tracks. Check out New Found Glory Oct. 10 at Trees as it headlines the Pop Punk's Not Dead tour.