More of the Same Solid Spunky Punk From NFG

New Found Glory’s latest release from Epitaph Records, “Radiosurgery,” doesn’t have anything to do with the medical procedure involving the removal of “memories” from the brain.

What you get here is the typical NFG sound, and we’re just fine with that.

That’s right, the gang of Jordan Pundik (Lead Vocals), Ian Grushka (Bass), Chad Gilbert (Guitar), Steve Klein (Guitar), and Cyrus Bolooki (Drums) are back to their old tricks again.

With no difference in approach from their previous 2009 album, “Not Without A Fight,” the band has cooked up another batch of pop-punk tunes about heartbreak and relationship losses.

That might have to do with Producer Neal Avron working with the band once again. No stranger to NFG, Avron produced three of their albums prior to “Radiosurgery,” the last album being 2004’s “Catalyst.”

To say the band hasn’t grown since then however, would be untrue. They changed up their style, slowed things down and added an emphasis on melody for their underrated 2006 release, “Coming Home.” They then came back with a certain edginess never before seen with “Not Without A Fight.”

It’s fair to say the band has done just about everything at this point. This hasn’t stopped them from making music though. Give the band credit, they know how to shake things up and as long as the tunes they continue to dish out have that familiar “NFG” spice to it, fans have little to worry about.

“Radiosurgery” should fit comfortably in the group’s album catalogue for old fans and new fans alike.

Looking for inspiration before recording, the band members listened to plenty of Ramones, Rancid, and early Green Day in hopes of replicating another ‘90s “punk anthem” with “Radiosurgery.”

This inspiration can definitely be heard on the album.

Take the first track for instance: the title track, “Radiosurgery.” The song begins with a riff reminiscent of Green Day’s “Dookie” days. With an interesting melody and repetitive chorus shouting the words, “I can’t get your face out of my head, It makes my brain hurt, I need radiosurgery,” it all makes for one nifty little track. It comes closer to the style found on “Not Without A Fight,” so newer fans will take more of a liking to this song.

Other tracks such as “Anthem For The Unwanted” and “I’m Not The One,” play more like “classic” New Found Glory and contain those catchy choruses, gang vocals, and breakdowns that NFG are best known for delivering.

One of the best tracks is “Drill It In My Brain,” ironic because that’s what the insanely catchy chorus does to your brain, it’s a song that will get stuck in your head for days.

Other songs like “Ready, Aim, Fire!,” “Dumped,” and “Trainwreck” are alright, but are nothing special despite a few catchy choruses.

“Summer Fling, Don’t Mean A Thing” has a catchy intro and succeeds in getting across those care-free, “summer” vibes. It’s not your usual NFG song, but they make it work.

One of the album’s highlights includes the appearance of Bethany Cosentino (Lead singer of Best Coast) on “Caught In The Act.” Her and Pundik’s duet plus a really catchy lead riff makes for one pleasant-sounding track.

“Memories And Battle Scars” also shines brightly on the album, as it boasts some of that aggressive attitude found on “Not Without A Fight.”

The album’s closer, “Map Of Your Body” begins fast but slows down considerably, but doesn’t affect things since it’s such a great song.

The deluxe version of “Radiosurgery” contains four bonus tracks, one of them a cover of The Ramone’s “Blitzrieg Bop.” If there’s something NFG will go that extra mile for, it’s covers. The other three bonus tracks are decent, but more of the same like the other tracks on the album.

“Radiosurgery” is best considered as a “back to basics” of sorts for the band. The album doesn’t quite have the edginess found on “Not Without A Fight,” but instead mostly rocks like their older days. Think back to “Sticks And Stones” and “Catalyst.” Older fans will appreciate this, but newer fans should like it as well. It’s NFG delivering what they do best: seemingly care-free, upbeat punk rock. It just works.

Avron had plenty to do with the album’s sound. He shot down several early demos that the band felt was some of their best work to date. He challenged the band to keep at it until he finally felt satisfied.

And it showed. There aren’t any bad tracks on the album per se, but some tracks stand out more than others.

Regardless, it’s still an exceptional effort from the boys.

One criticism of “Not Without A Fight” was the negativity of the lyrics. True, “Radiosurgery” again focuses on the steps of breaking up, but this time around, there is a glimmer of hope in the lyrics, it’s not “all downhill from here.”

“Radiosurgery” is exactly what you would expect from a New Found Glory record. There’s no sugarcoating, no fanciness, just straight-up punk rock. As the band realized, it’s okay to worry about the present and future, but the past deserves much appreciation as well.