Special: First Listen Thoughts: New Found Glory "Forever And Ever x Infinity", Protest The Hero "Palimpsest", Casa Loma "This Is Coping"

New Found Glory - Forever And Ever x Infinity:

Label: Hopeless Records

Press release: NEW FOUND GLORY will release its tenth studio album, "Forever + Ever x Infinity", on [June 19] via Hopeless Records. The band has put together a quintessential record, supremely catchy with sing-along anthems, trademark breakdowns, and sweetly poignant lyrics.

My thoughts: It's a great New Found Glory record overall however I will say that there are a few songs (Himalaya and Same Side Sitters mostly) that have subpar chorus' but are otherwise great. Stay Awhile, Like I Never Existed and Trophy are the non-preview tracks that stand out after one listen but I'm excited to give it multiple listens.

Protest The Hero - Palimpsest

Label: Spinefarm Records

Press release: “Palimpsest is by far the most challenging record we have worked on,” says lead guitarist Luke Hoskin. “The writing and recording process saw so many delays, it’s honestly hard to keep them straight. We are very proud of how each hurdle was handled though, and the end result is a record that we believe is deserving of such an endeavour.”

My thoughts: Palimpsest is a strong Protest The Hero album. I'm not a music nerd but I'm well aware the band are great musicians, that being said in past albums it seems they were trying to hard to impress the music nerd crowd which made for a less enjoyable experience for me however they've toned that down here and upped the lyricism and story-telling which makes for an interesting dive into American history.

Casa Loma - This Is Coping

Label: Pure Noise Records

Press release: “I did this for sanity” is the bold opening statement from bassist and co-vocalist of Man Overboard Nik Bruzzese, as to how his new solo project Casa Loma was born. The upcoming debut EP This is Coping  showcases a collection of songs Nik recorded as an artistic expression to channel events in his life the only way he knew how. 

My thoughts: I'd love to say that this is a great project but I just can't see myself getting into it. Nik's vocals are so different than what I'm used to. It's not until track 4 & 5 that I get what I know of Nik, the instrumentation is also best on those songs. I can appreciate this was a personal project for Nik but I'm just not sure it's for me but I'll give it some time before I put a nail in that coffin.