Catalyst 20 Years Later: A Conversation with New Found Glory

Let me take you back: Myspace. Limewire. Guyliner. We’re bringing it back all the way to the 2000s, when pop-punk and emo ruled all. In a circumstance that will surely make every millennial feel much older then they really are, I found myself with the opportunity to interview Cyrus Bolooki, drummer of New Found Glory, in the context of the band’s current tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their iconic album Catalyst.

SLUG: You guys are about to start the second leg of the Catalyst 20 Years Later Tour. How has it been treating you guys so far?

Bolooki: It’s been awesome. [The] first leg on the East coast has gone great and it’s been awesome to play Catalyst in full, but we don’t just stop at the end of the album—back in the 20 Years of Pop Punk Tour, we would do two albums but never in full. Now, playing the album in full has been quite an experience. 

SLUG: Between four EPs and the Disney Goes Punk release, you guys have released a whopping 32 covers along with a Christmas project—is there anything off the table for you guys?

Bolooki: There’s constantly things happening. We covered Disney in the past, and they came out of the blue and hit us up saying they were working on a project, [asking] if we had interest. Of course we said yes, and ended up getting attached [to] the Little Mermaid track. The reception has been going very well, along with being a great addition to our whole Catalyst 20 Years Tour experience. There are always things we have in the pipeline and always love playing live so we’re always trying to keep progressing. 

SLUG: You guys have been hitting the stage since before I was born. What about your music do you think keeps having people come back for more?

Bolooki: With Salt Lake City, we have always had a storied past. Every time we tour the country we seem to be stopping in Salt Lake—going back to the late ‘90s/early 2000s, we would play at [the now defunct] Club DV8, Warped Tour, The Complex, The Union Event Center, [The Great] Saltair … We have a history with Salt Lake City in general. What keeps people coming back, I think, is a combination of the energy we put out on stage along with a connection between us and the fans. A lot of it stems from trying to be a band that would be approachable—a lot of artists take on a mentality of “I’m the artist, you’re the audience,” and there is a whole disconnect. We’ve never been like that; we always try to stick around and meet fans and sign autographs, the whole thing. We’re also seeing the generational fans—I distinctly remember a meet and greet at The Complex and we would see families passing along the New Found Glory torch, and that’s definitely one of the reasons we’re still around. 

SLUG: Looking back on the album 20 years later, while “All Downhill From Here” is the clear front runner in terms of popularity, which track was the most impactful to complete and work through? Have your favorite tracks on that album changed over time?

Bolooki: I’m glad you asked. Of course I’ve been asked that before, but now that the tour is in full swing I’ve had to kind of change my answer. As far as impactful, I maintain that this is one of New Found Glory’s best records—it was the most fun record for me to make. A lot of that really comes down to me loving the production and that we were firing on all cylinders. We recorded 18 songs (14 made it on the album) and they all sound different. It’s been great to be able to revisit these songs and remind me of the process of recording and writing them. “Over The Head, Below The Knees” was one of the most frustrating songs to record and there were different opinions in the room, which led to me trying a ton of different iterations but I think playing it now live for me is so fun—it almost feels like a victory. Selfishly, the band has some awesome drum parts and I get to play all of them.

SLUG: When you were writing Catalyst, did you ever imagine that someday you would be coming back to it as a staple?

Bolooki: Not particularly. When we were writing the album, of course we had our decisions on what would be a single: “All downhill,” “Failures Not Flattery,” “Truth Of My Youth” we knew would become a fan favorite—even something like “Intro” we could play and see a reaction from fans, but Catalyst just works as a staple so well because of all the different facets of the album.

SLUG: How does it feel to be regarded as founding fathers to such a prolific genre, alongside bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbreaker, Green Day, etc.?

Bolooki: Super flattering—of course we didn’t aim for that at the time, but all those bands you mentioned were bands we were listening to on CDs when we were starting out. Those bands really helped pave the way for us. We were just kids in high school who all decided to stay out of trouble by playing music like those guys, and one thing led to another.

SLUG: You guys were able to skyrocket through pop-punk in the early 2000s along with the likes of Green Day, Blink-182, etc. With some saying the renaissance of the genre is behind us, are there any musicians on your radar that give you hope for the future of pop-punk? How do you feel like the genre has evolved since New Found Glory first started?

Bolooki: Evolution is everywhere. There is a lot more pop in pop-punk now but that’s just because it became so popular. When we were coming out of the ‘90s, those bands you mentioned earlier were pushing the envelope as well—today there are so many bands doing different things from focusing on lyrical content or noodling around on guitar. A particular shoutout to The Story So Far, who have been making a name for themselves for the last 10 years (along with taking their name from one of our songs).

SLUG: Joining you guys on this 26-stop tour is Sincere Engineer. Have you guys felt like you have taken on a mentorship role for these musicians of the future, perhaps a passing of the torch?

Bolooki: We got to meet them for the first time at the beginning of this tour—super cool group, Deanna Belos has a fantastic voice. It’s particularly cool that they don’t necessarily sound identical to us. They are such a tight band and have such catchy songs—they’ve been getting fantastic reception on every show so far.

SLUG: Working with the band almost seems like a rite of passage of collaboration with icons from the genre, such as working with Patrick Stump or playing live with Hayley Williams. Who would you guys love to collaborate with given the chance, dead or alive?

Bolooki: Such a hard question—each member in the band would give a different answer. Let’s put The Beatles down for myself, out of the honor of being up there with them. Ian [Grushka] is a huge ‘80s guy so he would probably choose a rocker who is no longer with us because they partied too hard … We’ve definitely had some fun collaborations in the past. On this tour, we’ve been bringing Deanna out to sing “No News is Good News”—most would expect her to want to sing “I Don’t Wanna Know” due to the track having a female singer, but when we were first talking about having her come out she vowed not to do that song. Those collaborations have been super fun, and with festivals like When We Were Young coming up, who knows, maybe we could keep that tradition going. 

New Found Glory prides itself on authenticity—from fan interactions to making their art, the band seems to be much more a force of nature than a business. If you want to hear Catalyst in full for its 20th anniversary, New Found Glory plays Salt Lake City on October 22 at The Depot.

Read more interviews with touring musicians:
Shannon & The Clams Don’t Own Beauty, But They See It Everywhere Now
Lucinda Williams Is Too Cool to Be Forgotten