It’s been a big week for Hopeless Records as two of their heavyweights, All Time Low and New Found Glory, have graced the Internet with new music videos. New Found Glory’s “One More Round” video is certainly not for the faint of heart as it depicts a violent free-for-all, but that shouldn’t deter you from checking out the pop-punkers’ latest.
The introduction shows the band’s four members soaked in blood on an equally bloody backdrop as what I’m assuming is their names flash across the bottom of the screen in Japanese characters. I say Japanese because what follows seems to be making a reference to the martial arts movies often parodied in pop culture…and inputting their names into Google for an English to Japanese translation produces the same result.
New Found Glory flashes across the screen in bold, black lettering obscured by its Japanese translation with subtext of “A Hopeless Records and Violent Filmmaking Production ©2015.” The video then goes back and forth between close-ups of weapons (baseball bats, brass knuckles, a sledgehammer—you know, the usual) held by strangers and the instruments being played by each band member for an interesting contrast.
Former My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero’s latest project, FrnkIero Andthe Cellabration, dropped a very similar “band playing in the midst of a blood soaked backdrop” video in September. However, New Found Glory’s take on it maintains its originality with an actual storyline throughout the entire video unlike Iero and his band just being drenched in blood without a hint of the source or a lyrical metaphor.
With NFG, we see the feet of the weapon-wielding strangers approach the band’s set who are in crisp white clothing on a starch white background with nearly all white instruments. It’s the kind of setup just asking to be destroyed, and that’s exactly what happens next. Trench coat stranger and his brass knuckles give the first blow to bassist Chad Gilbert’s face followed by a football pad-wearing, baseball bat holding guy (who has apparently mixed up his sports) being blocked by the neck of bassist Ian Grushka’s instrument.
Mr. Brass Knuckles goes after vocalist Jordan Pundik next, who lands face first for the most interesting shot of the video. Blood spills out of his mouth as he continues to sing to the ground with Mr. Brass Knuckles foot on his head, which is depicted as Pudnik’s face is pushed against a clear surface with a camera below him. This kind of detail-oriented cinematography is present throughout the video making it more than just a bunch of guys covered in corn syrup and food coloring.
Drummer Cyrus Bolooki rounds out the attacks as a girl in a white mask slashes his back with a crowbar in turn covering herself with his blood as he continues to drum away. The rest of the video is a whirlwind of weapons flying and band members bleeding especially when a bleached blonde girl arrives with a chainsaw and provides the second most interesting and literally gut-wrenching shot of the video.
What appears to be the main villain of the bunch appears with a sledgehammer, and the video tints to a red tone as more Japanese text appears across the screen. It ends with credits like a movie would with a director, producer, grips and production assistants. It also gives a shout out to each band member and the strangers who attack them who are known as Baseball Furi, Knuckle Duster, Hammer Bro, Gig Life, White Face and Slainsaw.
Despite all the pain being inflicted, the band continues to play and sing through it all as a metaphor for the lyrical content: “When you doubt me, it makes me better / When you hate me, it makes me stronger/ One more round / Kick me when I’m down / But I already won / When my name rolled off your tongue.”
The track is just as catchy as you’d imagine from the pop-punk band and their eighth full-length, Resurrection, which was released via Hopeless this past October. New Found Glory is currently on the road for their U.S. headlining Sleep When I Die tour with support from Turnstile, This Wild Life and Turnover.