Friday, May 13, 2016

Hit the Lights: Just to Get Through to You [2016] — EP Review

Nick Thompson: Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Omar Zehery: Lead Guitar
David Bermosk: Bass
Nate Van Damme: Drums
Kevin Mahoney: Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Produced by Hit the Lights

Tracklist:
1. Blasphemy, Myself, & I – 2:56
2. Drop the Girl – 3:39
3. Fucked Up Kids – 2:57
4. Save Your Breath – 3:00
5. Summer Bones – 4:17
6. Lighthouse – 3:22
Total Runtime: 20:11

Last year, Hit the Lights released their fourth album, Summer Bones, and their third with Nick Thompson on vocal duties. While it wasn't bad, it left something to be desired. With ten songs and only lasting 26½ minutes, Summer Bones doesn't really feel finished. Not to mention the "feat. Colin Ross" on "Old Friend" is barely earned, but that's all a story for when I review Summer Bones.
"Blasphemy, Myself, & I", from Summer Bones, opens up, and it actually sounds amazing as an acoustic. I honestly never would've thought it'd sound this good acoustic. Thompson's voice is as good as it's ever been. "Drop the Girl", from Skip School, Start Fights is next, and it sounds equally as pleasing as "Blasphemy", and also I never would've expected to sound this good acoustically.
Next we have "Fucked Up Kids", also from Summer Bones, which had a shredding opening on the studio version, but opens with some soothing guitar here. "Save Your Breath", from 2005's This is a Stick Up...Don't Make it a Murder with original vocalist Colin Ross, actually doesn't sound half bad with Nick Thompson's voice. The last time we heard (on a release) Nick Thompson sing one of Colin's songs was on the Coast to Coast EP when they did "Make a Run for it", which wasn't half bad either.
"Summer Bones" from Summer Bones is up next, and this is one I would expect to sound great as an acoustic, and Hit the Lights does not disappoint on that front. Finally, we end with the only new song on Just to Get Through to You, "Lighthouse", which isn't all acoustic, surprisingly. Nick Thompson said that "Lighthouse" is on here because he felt it didn't really fit on any albums, but it still felt like Hit the Lights. I really beg to differ, because this feels like exactly what was missing on Summer Bones—more energy, more substance, more time. This is a pet peeve of mine, but I hate ten-song albums, and I really hate when an album is shorter than Jimmy Eat World's Stay on My Side Tonight EP, which Summer Bones is about a full minute shorter than. "Lighthouse" would feel right at home closing out Summer Bones, and it would push it over the ½-hour mark as well.
If there's anything bad, or more like what I'm disappointed about from Just to Get Through to You, is that there aren't any songs from Invicta, which happens to be my favorite Hit the Lights album. I feel that "Float Through Me" or "So Guilty" could've worked nicely. But even as so, Just to Get Through to You is a great addition to the Hit the Lights catalog.

Blasphemy, Myself, & I: 8/10
Drop the Girl: 8/10
Fucked Up Kids: 8/10
Save Your Breath: 7/10
Summer Bones: 8/10
Lighthouse: 10/10

Total: 43/60
Score: 8.2 Excellent

Genres: Pop-Punk, Easycore, Acoustic, Alternative

Last EP Review: Bug Sessions, Vol. 1 by Saves the Day
Next EP Review: While I Stay Secluded by Knuckle Puck
Next Hit the Lights Review: Skip School, Start Fights

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