Skip School, Start Fights

Skip School, Start Fights is the second studio album from the American pop punk band Hit the Lights.

Skip School, Start Fights
Studio album by
Hit the Lights
ReleasedJuly 8, 2008
StudioPilot, New Jersey
GenrePop punk,[1] easycore
Length40:36
LabelTriple Crown
ProducerRob Freeman
Hit the Lights chronology
This Is a Stick Up... Don't Make It a Murder
(2006)		 Skip School, Start Fights
(2008)		 Coast to Coast
(2009)
Singles from Skip School, Start Fights
  1. "Stay Out"
    Released: June 24, 2008

Background

On June 28, 2007, it was announced vocalist Colin Ross left the group. Ross explained he "decided [he] would like to take a different direction with [his] life and not live this lifestyle any longer." The band intended to continue and find a new vocalist.[2] Subsequently, the band's guitarist Nick Thompson became their vocalist.[3]

Demo versions of the songs "Drop the Girl," "Stay Out," and "Don't Wait" with Colin Ross' vocals leaked on the internet before the album's release.

Recording

The album was produced by Rob Freeman, with recording taking place at Pilot Studios in New Jersey. It was mixed by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount.[3] The album features guest vocals from Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low on the song "Don't Wait" and Shane Henderson of Valencia on the song "Drop the Girl."

Release

Hit the Lights supported the Audition on their Spring Break '08 tour in the US from mid-March until early May.[4] In April, the band appeared at the Bamboozle Left festival.[5] Following this, they played a handful of Midwest and West Coast shows with Set Your Goals, I Am the Avalanche, 2*Sweet, and the Years Gone By, then a series of shows with I Am the Avalanche, Jet Lag Gemini, and the Armada until June 2008.[6][7] On May 18, 2008, Skip School, Start Fights was announced for release in two months' time.[8] On May 28, the band posted "Drop the Girl" on their MySpace profile.[9] "Stay Out" was released as a single on June 24.[10] Skip School, Start Fights was made available for streaming on July 1, before being released on July 8 through Triple Crown Records.[11] Later in July, the band supported All Time Low on their headlining US tour.[12] In September and October, the band supported Chiodos and Motion City Soundtrack on their co-headlining US tour.[13] In October and November, the band supported Cobra Starship on their Sassy Back (Tour) in the US.[14] In December, the band co-headlined a tour of the UK with Bayside. They were supported by Oh No Not Stereo.[15] On December 17, the band's cover of Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know", which was previously only available as an iTunes bonus track, was posted on their MySpace.[16][17]

On January 20, 2009, the music video for "Drop the Girl" premiered on MTV.com.[18][19] The song has since been streamed over 8 million times.[20][21][22] A few days later, the band performed at the Winter X Games.[23] "Drop the Girl" then aired on MTV2's You Rock the Deuce on February 28.[24] In March, the band supported the Maine and 3OH!3 on the Alternative Press Tour.[25] Later that month, they performed at the Alternative Press party at South by Southwest festival.[26] Between late June and late August, the band performed on the Vans Warped Tour.[27]

A limited vinyl version (250 copies) of the album was released in November 2017 for Triple Crown Records' 20th anniversary.[28]

"Drop the Girl" entered the top 10 on St. Louis, MO's Megarock Radio in July 2017.[29] It peaked at #1 on March 20, 2019.[30]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[31]
Alternative Press[32]
AbsolutePunk70%[33]
Ultimate Guitar7.4/10[1]

Skip School, Start Fights received generally positive reviews from music critics. Jason Tate of AbsolutePunk said, "There will always be a soft spot in my heart for this genre when done right, and this is the kind of album that definitely gets it right. It's fun, energetic, and thoroughly enjoyable." Eric Schneider of AllMusic complimented Nick Thompson's vocals. "Previously the group’s backing vocalist/guitarist, Thompson eases into the spotlight quite well on this 13-song set, as revealed on the boisterous 'Stay Out' and driving 'Don’t Wait.'"

The album sold over 7,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number 97 on the Billboard 200 chart. By July 20, 2008, it sold over 10,000 copies.[34][35]

Acoustic versions of "Tell Me Where You Are" and "Drop the Girl" were released on the band's Coast to Coast (2009) and Just to Get Through to You (2016) EPs.[36][37]

Track listing
  1. "Count It!" - 1:02
  2. "Breathe In" - 3:07
  3. "Stay Out" - 3:47
  4. "Drop the Girl" (featuring Shane Henderson from Valencia) - 3:21
  5. "Tell Me Where You Are" - 4:02
  6. "Hangs 'Em High" - 2:54
  7. "Back Breaker" - 3:25
  8. "Don't Wait" (featuring Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low) - 3:36
  9. "Cry Your Eyes Out" - 3:07
  10. "Statues" - 3:04
  11. "Say What You Wanna Say" - 3:11
  12. "Wide Awake" - 3:12
  13. "On and On" - 2:56
iTunes bonus tracks
  1. "How Will I Know" (Whitney Houston cover) – 3:54
  2. "Drop the Girl" (Rowdy Boiz remix) – 3:12

Charts
Chart (2008) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[38] 97
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[39] 24
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[40] 11

References
  1. UG Team (July 23, 2008). "Skip School, Start Fights | Hit The Lights | Compact Discs | Reviews". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  2. "Hit The Lights frontman quits band". Alternative Press. June 28, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  3. Wippsson, Johan (July 7, 2008). "Hit The Lights "Skip School, Start Fights" In Stores Tomorrow Tuesday". Melodic. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  4. Kilgore, Kym (March 12, 2008). "The Audition hits the road hard". LiveDaily. Ticketmaster. Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  5. "Bamboozle Left reveals more bands". Alternative Press. March 13, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  6. Paul, Aubin (April 24, 2008). "Set Your Goals detail 'Mutiny!' deluxe". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  7. Paul, Aubin (April 26, 2008). "I Am the Avalanche". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  8. Reinecker, Meg (May 18, 2008). "Hit The Lights set release date". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  9. "Hit The Lights posts new song". Alternative Press. May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  10. "Stay Out - Single by Hit the Lights". iTunes. Apple Inc. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  11. "Hit The Lights post full stream". Alternative Press. July 1, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  12. Wippsson, Johan (July 4, 2008). "All Time Low On Headlining Tour July 11-July 21; Band Joins Vans Warped". Melodic. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  13. "UPDATE: Craig Owens releases statement; Chiodos co-headline tour with Motion City Soundtrack still o". Alternative Press. July 24, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  14. "Cobra Starship, Forever The Sickest Kids are bringing Sassy Back". Alternative Press. August 5, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  15. "Bayside / Hit The Lights to co-headline UK; Oh No Not Stereo supporting". Alternative Press. December 1, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  16. "Hit The Lights post Whitney Houston cover". Alternative Press. December 17, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  17. Paul, Aubin (December 16, 2008). "Hit The Lights: 'How Will I Know (Whitney Houston)'". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  18. Wippsson, Johan (January 21, 2009). "Hit The Lights 'Drop The Girl' Video Debut On MTV.com". Melodic. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  19. "Hit the Lights post video for "Drop The Girl"". Alternative Press. January 20, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  20. "Drop The Girl by Hit The Lights". myspace. July 8, 2008.
  21. Hit The Lights (February 2, 2009). "Drop The Girl [Official Music Video]". YouTube. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  22. Hit The Lights (July 8, 2008). "Drop The Girl". Spotify. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  23. "Hit The Lights to play Winter X-Games". Alternative Press. January 23, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  24. Hit The Lights (March 3, 2009). "MySpace.com Blogs - Hit the Lights - MTV2 - HTL". MySpace. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  25. Wippsson, Johan (December 30, 2008). "The Maine: Alternative Press Acoustic Session!". Melodic. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  26. "The Used, Anberlin, Isles & Glaciers, 16 more playing AP's free SXSW party". Alternative Press. February 23, 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  27. Paul, Aubin (March 26, 2009). "Warped Tour 2009". Punknews.org. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  28. "Hit The Lights - Skip School, Start Fights Vinyl". Triple Crown Records. October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  29. "Megarock Radio". Online Radio Box. July 19, 2017. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  30. "Megarock Radio". Online Radio Box. March 20, 2019. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  31. Schneider, Eric. "Hit The Lights - Skip School, Start Fights". AllMusic.
  32. Zemler, Emily. "Hit The Lights - Skip School, Start Fights". Alternative Press. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  33. Fallon, Chris. "Hit the Lights - Skip School, Start Fights". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  34. "Weezy, Coldplay Continue To Battle It Out For Billboard's #1". MTV. July 16, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  35. "Hit the Lights - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  36. Hit the Lights (June 23, 2009). "Tell Me Where You Are (Acoustic)". YouTube. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  37. Hit the Lights (May 4, 2016). "Drop the Girl (Acoustic)". YouTube. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  38. "Hit The Lights - Chart History". Billboard. July 26, 2008.
  39. "Hit The Lights Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard.
  40. "Hit The Lights Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
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