Album Reviews

Hit The Lights - Invicta

There's nothing wrong with a band that doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but instead tries to make a bigger and better wheel. There are plenty of albums that have succeeded in doing just that; frankly, most of them are punk-pop albums. So I'll forgive Hit The Lights, a punk-pop band if there ever was one, for failing to introduce anything groundbreaking on Invicta, relying on the considerable production abilities of Mike Sapone (whose credits include Brand New's Daisy and The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me, to name a few). But it doesn't take too long to realize that Invicta has very little lasting value.

Yes, the production is impressive; everything is huge and crystal-clear, making every chorus sing. But what good is it if that slick production is just masking tired ideas? Taking Back Sunday, Bayside, Yellowcard...countless bands have done this sort of thing before (and better). Hit The Lights has about half an album's worth of impressive material, but the stubborn insistence on sticking to punk-pop clichés cripples their latest work.

That half-album of solid work, however, comes almost right away. “Invincible” is a gigantic track, opening the album with booming drums and a chorus that could fill a stadium: “Tonight we'll be the only light/ tonight we jump from greater heights/ and we'll be invincible.” The synth-laden “Gravity” is similarly huge, but by “Earthquake” the listener is left hoping for some variety

That variety doesn't really arrive till the album's last track, the atmospheric closer “Oh My God.” A decidedly post-rock vibe dominates the song, and Nate Thompson's falsetto impresses. However, “Float Through Me” is easily the album's best work, deftly blending driving verses with the album's biggest chorus. Thompson's cries of “Am I a ghost, or am I just something new/ that you see right through?” resonate, and it's as catchy as the album gets.

Unfortunately, like an unfortunate number of punk-pop bands, Hit The Lights just isn't the same at slower tempos. “So Guilty” and “Faster Now” (the latter co-written with Yellowcard's Ryan Key) play with some interesting drum effects but lack any sort of punch. Even the somewhat brisker “Get To You,” “All The Weight” and “Take Control” are about as generic as possible―they blend together with the rest of the album too easily, lacking any sort of distinguishing qualities.

Invicta isn't offensively bad, not by a long shot. But it could've been so much more. A little variety could've helped out this album in a huge way, but it's just not there. Aside from “Float Through Me” and “Invincible,” there's almost nothing here that will leave a lasting impression. 

Photo Courtesy: Beyond the Barricade Photography (flickr)

 
Photo Courtesy: !Lauriin (flickr)

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