Even though we have reviewed a decent amount of pop-punk bands on the website already (Set Your Goals, Red Car Wire, Better Luck Next Time) it still happens to a genre that is outrageously over-saturated with cookie cutter bands -- not unlike the screamo genre and couple years back, and -- more recently -- the metalcore genre.

The tail end of this overcrowding is always a good time to start paying attention to the genre; by then all the average to below-average bands that were just riding the fad wave have dropped off the map, and the true talent is left to stay.

One of these bands is Hit the Lights, hailing from Lima, Ohio, who spent all summer playing dates on the Vans Warped Tour. They were also on the first part of the Alternative Press 2009 Tour.

When I originally got their full length debut, This is a Stick-Up…Don’t Make It A Murder in 2006, I actually had no idea what kind of band they were. With a title like that, I actually expected them to be some kind of metal band or something. However, as soon as ‘The Call Out’ started, I realized I was way off base.

That entire album is pretty much rock solid. I can listen to it from front to back and not really have to skip a track.

However, in terms of catchy tracks, I definitely think that their sophomore release, Skip School, Start Fights (2008), trumps that release. There are about six songs on Skip School, Start Fights that are just unreal. One of these is the song I have embedded below, ‘Wide Awake.’ Others are ‘Hangs ‘Em High’, ‘Breathe In’, ‘Stay Out’ (also below), and Matthew’s favorite track -- ‘Don’t Wait.’

In 2007, their original vocalist, Colin Ross, left the band and Nick Thompson took over the position (he played guitar and sung back-up vocals beforehand). To be honest, he is a perfect fit as a replacement, because until I saw a YouTube comment that said Colin had left, I had no idea that switch ever took place.

The band has toured with Paramore, New Found Glory, All Time Low, Valencia, and a handful of other big names in the genre.

While I don’t have any tracks posted from their newest EP, Coast to Coast, the sound is very similar to the two songs I posted below. ‘Coast to Coast’ and ‘Pulse’ are two tracks that I am sure will get some serious airtime…..errr, ipodtime(?) from me.

The last song on the EP (it has six tracks) is actually an acoustic cover of ‘The Call Out’, originally found on their full-length debut, This is a Stick-Up…Don’t Make It A Murder.

Anyone who is into the pop-punk genre definitely needs to give these guys a listen. Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Update: After listening to the Coast to Coast EP a few more times, I am convinced that this is their strongest effort to date with Nick Thompson at the helm. It has the songs they are known for as well as slow songs, and the first two tracks -- ‘Coast to Coast’ and ‘Pulse’ -- will be stuck in your head immediately. Get it below. Now.

Click the album artwork to purchase Hit the Lights’ songs or albums directly from iTunes (This is a Stick-Up…Don’t Make It A Murder, Skip School, Start Fights, Coast to Coast EP:

Or, if you prefer to shop at Amazon, check out their discography in CD and MP3 format: Hit the Lights

Check out the video for ‘Stay Out’ from Hit the Lights’ Skip School, Start Fights:

Hit the Lights -- Stay Out

And here is the song that I listen to non-stop from Skip School, Start Fights, ‘Wide Awake’:

Hit the Lights -- Wide Awake

All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

09202009

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