Review Summary: Still just 'good enough'
After three years Ohio pop-punk band Hit The Lights is back with another full length release. During a new explosion of interest in the pop-punk genre, how does 'Summer Bones' measure up? The best that can be said for the album is it's just above average. While never at the forefront of the genre, Hit The Lights has garnered a fair deal of success in years past. Unfortunately being just above average is far from a solid milestone with four full-length releases under your belt.
The obvious proverbial elephant in the studio is the shadow of the band's last release, 'Invicta'. The album was an attempt at maturation in lyrics and sound but ultimately fell flat and diffused much of the band's career momentum. Much to Hit the Light's credit, they decided to take the safe and sound approach: give the people what they want. Rather than continue down the path 'Invicta' forged, 'Summer Bones' sees the band reconnecting with the bare bones pop-punk that made their first releases successful.
The songs found on 'Summer Bones' are short, fast, and showcase plenty of early New Found Glory influence. Occasional bursts of more interesting guitar work pepper the album, welcome progression left over from 'Invicta' and proof that even amid a flop the band learned a thing or two. The same cannot be said for the drumming however. The drumming displayed is rarely anything but extremely basic and is only worsened by poor mixing found on several moments of the album. The opening to 'Old Friend' is particularly painful as relentless bashing overpowers the other elements and ruins a guest vocal reunion with original lead singer Colin Ross.
Vocalist Nick Thompson is at the forefront the vast majority of the time. His vocals has improved slightly from past releases, and while marketed as “aggressive” prove to be anything but. While perhaps not as annoying squeaky-clean as his delivery on 'Skip School Start Fights', his vocals are still far from edgy or dark. As for lyrics, well, there aren't any glaring transgressions but nothing thought provoking either. In '***ed Up Kids and 'The Real' Thompson does his best to tread the more serious waters genre forerunners The Wonder Years are known for, but the result falls flat and insincere. Lyrics such as “We're all just ***ed up kids” and “I want to live for something real” show sophomoric depth at best. While the gang chanted “I'll drop you like a ton of bricks” from 'Life on the Bottom' isn't grand poetry it's at least fun.
Therein lies the albums greatest strength, and what has always been the band's hallmark: fun. Sometimes simplistic pop-punk can be enjoyed for what it is, rather than what it lacks. After a failed attempt at maturation, Hit The Lights clearly wanted to make songs to blast while driving windows down in the summertime. In that respect the endeavor was a success. Despite their flaws the Ohio boys know how to write great hooks and indulge in basic fun. The title track shows the band firing on all cylinders and is a clear highlight. The album is far from terrible, but won't contend for any 'best of' lists come year's end. At the end of the day, Hit The Lights is still just good enough to be above average.
Recommended Tracks:
Summer Bones
Life on the Bottom
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