We’ve waited twelve years for this, and it was worth the wait.
Usually when it comes to sequels in movies, people always say that the original was better and that whatever follows it just can’t hold a candle to the first one. Well when New Found Glory dropped From The Screen To Your Stereo II in 2007, seven years after the first one, that opinion changed. The album was chocked full of amazing covers from films like Donnie Darko (Tears For Fears’s “Head Over Heels”), She’s All That (Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me”), and Pretty Woman (Go West’s “King Of Wishful Thinking”).
Then out of nowhere, a third album was announced, this time being an EP, much like the first one in the series. Fans were excited seeing the tracklisting, starring songs from Frozen (Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go”), Shrek 2 (Counting Crows’s “Accidentally In Love”), and Back To The Future (Huey Lewis And The News’s “The Power Of Love”). But could this album do better than its predecessors? Simply put: yes.
New Found Glory sprinkle their classic pop-punk charm throughout the EP’s seven songs, making each track stand out from their original artists. Whether it be Chad Gilbert’s incredible guitar shredding, Cyrus Bolooki’s rapid drumming, or vocalist Jordan Pundik’s poppy hooks, the group are able to make these songs shine in their own way.
Kicking off the third entry in the trilogy is their rendition of Anna Kendrick’s “Cups” from Pitch Perfect. It keeps the poppy charm found in the movie, but it kicks the energy up a notch, fueled by Bolooki’s beats and Gilbert’s riffs. On “This Is Me”, a song from The Greatest Showman that’s been done a thousand times by others on YouTube, they meet the source material halfway, bringing in a chorus to back up Pundik’s vocals while the rest of the group bring in a punk styling to the song. This helps the track feel like the original version sung by Keala Settle and the movie’s ensemble.
Shredding starts off their cover of the classic Huey Lewis And The News song from Back To The Future, “The Power Of Love”. The verses aren’t the strongest part of the cover, but it all shines on the choruses, backed with a synth and harmonies. With “Let It Go”, the hit song from Frozen, the group get back on track, putting a fresh coat of paint on a song that’s been done to death. It’s a fun track and will make you remember that song whether you wanted to or not. The Shrek 2 track “Accidentally In Love” is one of the strongest covers, improving on the original by Counting Crows. However, the drumming in the intro and first verse doesn’t feel right, but it fixes itself by the chorus. That minor detail doesn’t ruin the cover, though.
Things slow down on “A Thousand Years”, originally by Christina Perri for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 soundtrack. The slower tempo keeps the album from sounding too repetitive, breathing new life into the EP and the song. Their cover scraps the acoustic guitar and piano found in the original and replace it with a full band, adding 100% more power to the song. It’s like this song was begging to be redone this way.
It all ends with the high energy “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor. The classic rock track from Rocky III goes faster, having NFG kicking it up a notch. The high energy rocks the classic 80’s hit and shows that NFG can make anything sound good.
From The Screen To Your Stereo 3 is a great sequel, improving on New Found Glory’s previous entries. Not all third entires in a series are awful.
Punk Goes Prenatt 