Hit The Lights

Invictus (Razor & Tie)
By Mike Delano

Everything is an anthem on Invictus, the third full-length from Hit The Lights. That’s not really true, but it often feels that way. Regardless of what vocalist Nick Thompson is singing about, don’t expect the sounds behind him to be anything less that triumphant. Opening track “Invincible” might have you thinking along the lines of Eighteen Visions, but by the time follow-up “Gravity” is at its super-sleek, life-affirming chorus, you realize Hit The Lights is capable of wholly new heights of pomp. And it works: This is great windows-open/top-down, cruising along the coast kind music, even if it occasionally gets overstuffed (especially on the only real misstep: The toothless, Owl City-sounding “Faster Now”). Surprisingly, the most memorable songs come when they dial things back. With restrained tempos and room to breathe in the arrangements, “So Guilty” and “Oh My God” communicate their emotions more effectively than other, more forceful, attempts.
(www.razorandtie.com)