New Found Glory / International Superheroes of Hardcore

It’s like the guys in New Found Glory all got face tattoos that said, "Fuck the Haters.” And good for them. Yes, they write insanely poppy songs and yes, the singer’s voice is crazy nasal, but they’ve always been honest about what they do and, at the very least, they’ve never added a screaming guy or put on eyeliner. With this release on legendary hardcore label Bridge Nine, NFG are justifying the love shown to them by punks over the years. A collection of three originals (all fast, all great!) and three covers (Shelter, Gorilla Biscuits and Lifetime!), their half of this split is a solid punch of great melodic hardcore. The "other half” is a full-length by the International Superheroes of Hardcore (NFG with guitarist and former Shai Hulud vocalist Chad Gilbert front and centre) and it’s fucking awesome. Pilfering the NYHC sound for all it’s worth, ISHC prove perfectly adept at imitating their influences, and the results sound great. Plus, the songs are funny as hell: "Madball’s Got Our Back” is a love letter to one of NYC’s finest, while "Dirty Mouth” instructs kids to use words like "shucks” and "Seat Belt” offers the most intense car safety PSA ever produced. Releasing this was a bold move for Bridge Nine, and it looks like it paid off.