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Hit The Lights

Skip School, Start Fights (2008)
Triple Crown Records

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Contributed by: SCjames
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on July 9th 2008

First off I really liked This Is a Stick-Up…Don't Make It a Murder so as you can guess I was really excited for this album. But if you hadn't heard by now, the original singer for the band, Colin left and guitarist Nick took over vocal duties. So, I really didn't know what to expect from them on they're second full length. I wouldn't say I'm disappointed but....

There really is a lot to like about this album. Some of the songs be stuck in your head for days and are extremely fun to listen to. The lyrics are typical on most songs (friends, girls, growing up) and overall are well down ("Stay Out") but in some cases are laughably bad ("Statues"): "I'll send postcards to enemies / make sure to sign each one / while singing wish you were here." And later on the album some of the lyrics feel recycled from the earlier songs ("Wide Awake"). Noticeably gone are the tongue-in-cheek lyrics about murder that made Hit The Lights seem a little more unique compared to some of they're counterparts.

The production really helps most of the music shine and help make it more catchy. I wasn't a huge fan of how in some songs they had electronic undertones and it sounds good with some bands, but here it feels corny and almost makes the albums sound overproduced in certain parts.

There is a lot of good on this album, but with every pro, there's at least a small con. Still it's a perfect release for a time like summer so fans of the genre and band should check it out.

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dumhed01 (April 19, 2009)

I loved This is a Stick up..
But this record just doesn't do it for me.
The band watered down their own sound way too much.

I prefer the old singer.
But i still like the new one.
This record just wasn't very good.

damnitsderek (August 13, 2008)

Oh, the album title rhymes with the band name.

I don't get it.

xkidxdynamitex (August 11, 2008)

this was an ok album.
i prefer the new singer to the old one.
not bad. not too great.

paulrulzdood (August 11, 2008)

i still can't figure out what differentiates these guys from All Time Low, other than they seem slightly less pussified.

i also still can't figure out what these guys and All Time Low are doing that NFG and The Starting Line didn't already do between 2000-2002....and better.

Amazingthemike (August 9, 2008)

Not nearly as good as the last one. It all seems too forced at times. Bummer!

holy_balls (August 9, 2008)

So that's what it looks like when you shit a rainbow

dancelukedance (August 8, 2008)

Spot on review. The album has a few good tracks. I like wide awake and breathe in.

There must be a factory in the US producing pop punk bands that are exactly the same.

Mrfunktion (August 8, 2008)

most generic album ever

suburbanxcore (August 8, 2008)

"Noticeably gone are the tongue-in-cheek lyrics about murder that made Hit The Lights seem a little more unique compared to some of they're counterparts. "

Yeah, cause NO bands do that whole shtick. Yawn.

nhoj (August 8, 2008)

This album is wholly forgettable. Stick Up was a nice nostalgic trip through the early 00's pop-punk scene, but this feels even more generic. Actually, the only song that I think really does anything noteworthy is "Statues" with its fast pop-punk drum beat and early-Fall Out Boy-esque chorus. It really feels like it was left off of Take This to Your Grave.

ddb43 (August 8, 2008)

Score is for the album title and cover.

sugarfull (August 8, 2008)

This was a great Metallica song.

SilentStorms (August 8, 2008)

Ok so the band changed singers and has crappy lyrics, but what does the music sound like? Score's for the review.

red_eye_inc (August 8, 2008)

These guys have a whole "fake tough guy" theme going on that I don't appreciate

preston (August 8, 2008)

Looks like somebody "Double-Dare'd" that album cover.