Hit the Lights
American pop punk band from Lima, Ohio.
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Hit the Lights is an American pop punk band from Lima, Ohio, named in allusion to the 1980s skateboarding film Gleaming the Cube. The band has sold over 120,000 albums in North America. In 2025, Terry Bezer of Screen Rant included the band in his list of '10 Forgotten Pop-Punk Bands Who Deserve To Be Better Remembered.'
History
Hit the Lights got their start in 2003. Before forming the band, Colin Ross and Omar Zehery had played together in a local act called The Goodbye Session, while Nick Thompson was previously in The Summer Departure. Nate Van Damme had worked as a drum tech for Hawthorne Heights and also played in Glasseater. The band’s first EP, Leaving Town Tonight, came out in 2004.
In March 2005, they recorded and released Until We Get Caught on Silent Movie Records. After signing with Triple Crown Records, that EP was reissued in November 2005. In 2007, Hit the Lights headlined the Let It Ride Tour, with support from Just Surrender, All Time Low, Valencia, Forgive Durden, The Secret Handshake, and Love Arcade. Lead singer Colin Ross later said he had to leave the band because his heart wasn’t in it anymore; the other members had noticed he seemed less into performing for most of the previous year.
After Ross left in June 2007, the band had to cancel a planned October 2007 headlining tour of the United Kingdom because they couldn’t find a permanent lead vocalist. Colin played his final show with the group on September 15, 2007, at The Axis in Lima, Ohio. Following that show, the remaining four members recorded a cover of “The Warrior,” with Nick Thompson taking over lead vocals. The band also clarified in their documentary Vultures Don’t Eat Vans that their name was not taken from a Metallica song, despite rumors.
Side projects
Nick Thompson’s side project Thief Club features many of his more personal lyrics, plus some unfinished Hit the Lights songs. Thief Club’s debut album My Heavy came out in Japan on December 25, 2013, and in the United States on February 4, 2014. Nate Van Damme and Kevin Mahoney formed a hardcore project called Holy War. Guitarist Omar Zehery runs Legacy Sounds Studio and the Rustgaze Records label out of Lima, Ohio.
Did You Know?
- AllMusic categorized Hit the Lights' music as 'emo-tinged punk-pop' and 'emocore'.
- Chris Fallon of AbsolutePunk characterized the band's style as bringing 'immediacy to an ADD audience who refuses to wait for that tasty ice cream treat to melt and is willing to take the brain freeze.'
Frequently Asked Questions
Which record labels has Hit the Lights released music on?
Hit the Lights has released music on Silent Movie, Triple Crown, Universal Republic, Razor & Tie and Pure Noise.
Who are the current members of Hit the Lights?
The current members of Hit the Lights are listed as Nick Thompson, Omar Zehery, Kevin Mahoney, Nate Van Damme and David Bermosk.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Hit the Lights (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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