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Dec 10, 2021 Web Exclusive By Hayden Merrick

Pop punk mainstays New Found Glory are open to novelty. They’ve given the world three albums of movie soundtrack covers (the From the Screen to Your Stereo series) and even formed a superhero-themed side project. The band is also confident in its Christmas adoration, proffering numerous Christmas songs over the years. This year, that idolatry manifests in a full-length album of original Christmas tunes, including a holiday version of “It Never Snows In Florida” from their scruffy 1999 debut.

Absent is the Mesa Boogie crunch of 2020’s Forever + Ever X Infinity. Instead, December’s Here lives in snuggly fireside arrangements—jolly acoustic strums, plonky piano jingles, and Beach Boys-indebted harmonies and doo-whops. Jordan Pundik’s nasally vocals are fully exposed, a facet that newcomers may find difficult to reconcile. Lyrically, there’s a take on the “All I Want For Christmas Is You” platitude with “Nothing For Christmas”—“don’t buy me anything/I got what I wanted…it’s you”—as well as a general indulgence of reds and greens, candy canes, ugly sweaters, Christmas Vacation, and comfortingly low stakes (“I can’t find a perfect Christmas card”).

Warming, playful, and saccharine, December’s Here is unlikely to engender new found fans or get anyone as excited as the band members themselves. But if you have a cockle that needs warmth and a penchant for coltish pop rock, NFG’s eleventh studio album might be worth adding to your Christmas list. (www.newfoundglory.com)

Author rating: 5.5/10