Archive for the ‘Hit The Lights’ Category
Hit The Lights – Skip School, Start Fights
From Lima, Ohio comes another classic pop punk band, Hit The Lights. Although times sounding a little generic, they have done a great job of sticking to the status quo but making it their own. Currently signed to Triple Crown Records, Skip School, Start Fight is their second full length album, and it is full of fun, catchy, thematic sounds that are traditional mainstream pop punk but also completely Hit The Lights.
The first track is an intro ballad, being only a minute long and very solemn. It uses a piano melody with slow, passionate vocals, and it is a nice listen. Quite uncommon of Hit The Lights, but not exactly out of the ball park, it’s a pop punk ballad that one would expect, and it’s rather nice.
Moving on to the second track, Breathe In, we get a song that gives us a sample of what we’re in for. Right off the bat you get the grungy guitars that is reminiscent of the kind of trend that grew in the late 90’s, before it developed into Simple Plan. The chorus is really catchy and blends with the verse very well, and the whole song is nicely together. The vocals are vintage pop punk, almost generic, but absolutely fitting. Being slightly high pitched, and a tad on the aggressive side, the vocals are really nice. Nick Thompson sounds a bit like Alex from All Time Low, and not surprisingly the styles of the bands are very similar as well, which is always a solid comparison. The other recognizable thing is the lack of synths, which really gives it that mellow punk feel, instead of the new age dance pop punk that’s been booming as of late.
Skipping a track to Drop The Girl, listeners are treated to something a little more unserious, at least the theme anyway. This song is what makes me really think of All Time Low, but had I heard of Hit The Lights first, the comparison might have been the other way around. It has a very catchy chorus that the song begins with, and uses aggressive but fun instrumentals. The vocal melody is what really stands out, because it’s fast paced and constantly changing which is really nice. The backing vocals add the icing to the cake, and overall this song just sticks in your head. Whether it’s the chorus, or just the “whoa oh” in the background, it is memorable and a favourite of mine.
It’s a pleasure for me to say Hit The Lights emulates most of the tracks in this fashion. They have a knack for catchy lyrical melodies and aggressive instrumentals. Although some songs fall behind others, there are more than a handful of really memorable hits, and Hit The Lights does a great job of playing to the tune of that classic pop punk sound. A track I especially enjoyed was Don’t Wait which is a little more serious and mellow, but also still very aggressive. With a very epic climax, it’s sad, emotional, and very passionate. The piano lines in this song are perfectly placed and this track has become my favourite off of Skip School, Start Fights.
Finally another song of note is On And On, the last track and a pretty impressive exit song. It’s hard hitting and again plays to the emotions of listeners. There is a sense of accomplishment in their last song, and I feel it’s well warranted. Hit The Lights has been going at it since 2003 and too hear of them only now feels like a travesty to me. Their catchy chorus’ and passion for memorable melodies is what makes Hit The Lights so good. Sticking to a style of genre that will probably be gone in the next decade, they strip away all the fancy production and just play great music.
Check out their Myspace for official tour dates and album info.
Hit The Lights – Drop The Girl
