In 2008 Ohio pop punk natives Hit the Lights were on the tip of every ones tongue with their mainstream success Skip School start lights. Fresh off of tour  and couple million records sold, Hit the Lights can properly fit themselves with pie that is pop-punk.  After signing with their new label Razer  & Tie, the foursome are ready to let out another record entitled Invictus on the world.

Armed with soul, heart and meaningful lyrics Hit the Lights return with a matured album full of soaring vocals  accompanied by fluid and well thought out rythem. Invicta is the boys first release on Razer and & Tie and with that, they have lost nothing of their iconic sound. Invicta begins with the feet stomping track Invincible, Nate Van Damme drumming blends with Nick Thompson uplifting vocals both feed of the engery that pulls the song through the high toned chorus. The next track is probably the most diverse track Gravity has a hint of 80′s tone feel underneath the catchy hooks, slick guitars  and surging vocals cataplute the band into the upper echelon of the genere. The third LP is massive jump from their last record the sound encompasses the growth of the band. Should’ve Known  and All the Weight emphasize that they can write songs that don’t fall under the pop punk catagory. Take Control goes back the Hit the Lights roots,  face paced rythem controlled time and a massive chorus

Hit the Lights are gaining some momentum, treading new water with new sounds. Each song on the record is different on their own but manage to blend well together. The energy throughout the album is shows a new side of the band, but it limits their sound. Certain parts of record you can feel any song go somewhere, but it stays safe. Maybe they felt that the record does not need anything more, maybe it satisfies that band overall. But with small negatives, Invicta is an album new and old fans alike can get into easliy or with two or more listens. Check out Hit the Lights Invicta out January 31 on Razer & Tie.

Every now and again and band comes along and sets the bar for themselves, some manage to vault effortlessly over their limitations while others miss and stick with a generic formula (see every band on rise records). But in this case UK natives Enter Shikari are not the latter. They offer a very strange blend which cannot be categorized but they pull off this new genre very well, and can be potential pioneers for it. Euro-dance mixed with post hardcore attributes, and vicious lyrics that hit home.  Still riding on the success of the last record Common Dreads they manage to top themselves again with A Flash Flood of Colors

The album beings slow but begins with an arena rock anthem entitled “System”   Roughton Reynolds just talking accompanied with club style rhythm. The album picks up at the 4 track “Search Party” which is a perfect sing along track, anyone can get into it. Easily. Reynolds vocals are in top form throughout the record, even though this is my first record of them, this song made me it easier to get into them.   The record gets better around the latter half of it starting and “Gandhi Mate, Gandhi” beginning with a rant of how the government is fucking us over. The album has clear message behind it with anti-government, one can hear it through the lyrics of almost most of the songs. “Warm Smiles Do not Make  You Welcome” and “Party of Thieves” both feed and complement each other’s energy, they both show that  ES aren’t just about loud straight forward fuck you with dubstep laced underneath the mess, but also have a technical  and softer side, giving the band and listener time to breath. Both songs work in a way that even though they’re the softest, they still are still more noticeable then the rest.  The last track I found very interesting  “Constellations”,  the first  time I heard it was on train. Reynolds  talks about how he’s at a train station and he’s waiting for two trains, one is always on time and heading towards disaster, while the other is sustainability, never on time and going in the opposite direction . Further on he shouts that we need to be the change in order to see the change, it ends on a high hopeful note, with the entire band pulling in their weight.  The dubstep influence is evident throughout with many aspects  of the early  sound along with many DJ’s including  Doctor P, Nero  and Pendulum.

AFFoC is sound of progression for Enter Shikari, everything on this album for the instruments to the voices blends and comes out with a beautiful mess. Reynolds is painting a picture through his mouth that can welcome old or new fans like me.  Many bands that have a unique tone to them don’t normally do well due to bold black line that differs  them from sounding to generic or just sounding like garbage, but in this Enter Shikari manage to execute their creativity in a way that can captivate the listener regardless of their musical preferences. None the less A Flash Flood of Colors is making 2012 look like a good year both for the band and fans and even the industry. Even though the worlds going to end, ES won’t go down without  a fight. Pick up A Flash Flood of Colors January 17.

Aurora, Ontario natives Brighter Brightest have really outdone themselves. Having been the stars of the show Discovered on MuchMusic, being signed to Black Box Records, and recording with the infamous Machine in New Jersey, this band knows how it’s done.

Brighter Brightest’s album “Right For Me” is probably the pop album of 2011 for Ontarians. “Everyday,” the band’s first single, is a somewhat typical song about a girl, but so catchy. Seeing them play this song live, I saw mostly everyone singing along. It’s that good. “All I know” is another good song, still about a girl, but about how that girl is being mistreated by some jerk, and front man Derek just wants to be there for her. More catchiness in this song for sure. Their title song, “Right For Me,” is an anthem. Starting off acoustic, then building into a powerful ending, this song really draws onto their teenage audience’s emotions, allowing almost any teen to relate.

This album is one of the best pop albums I’ve heard in a long time. This album is great, albeit a little typical in their lyrical themes (girls, girls girls!). I definitely recommend picking this one up.

For fans of: Relient K, The Maine, All Time Low, Circa Survive

The Civil Wars’ album “Barton Hollow” is brilliance. The duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White create an amazing folk vibe, with hints of pop, country, and soul.

This album is overall on the slower side, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it diminishes the impact. The songs are hard hitting. Joy and John harmonize with beautiful perfection. Lyrically, they’re brilliant. I don’t think I can find one thing about this album that I don’t like, except maybe the fact that I took so long to buy it. “I’ve Got This Friend” is an upbeat tune that really grabs you. “Barton Hollow” also catches your attention. Compared to the rest of the album, this is their most aggressive song, but it has so much soul. “C’est La Mort” begins with a very pretty piano intro, and leads into an enchanting song. “Poison & Wine” has a feeling of longing, really gripping around your heart strings. I could go on and on about each song on this album.

Basically an instant favourite for anyone who enjoys their style, The Civil Wars have perfected their art form. From harmonies, to the plucking of each guitar string, to when each vocalist should cut in or out, everything is perfectly placed. This is just one of those albums you can’t stop listening to.

For fans of: Howler, Chuck Ragan, The Wooden Sky

After spending countless hours on youtube,myspace and facebook, looking for new bands. I stumbled on InVouge records with a very wide sounding roster, but from all the metal core and post punk bands emerged The City Lights. A pop punk band hailing from Columbus Ohio, with sounds running parallel to the likes of A Day to Remember and Four Year Strong, but a with more youthful approach. Most bands within the same scene don’t differ themselves amongst the rest, The City Lights manage to pull of a new fresh sound that breathes in life to the genre that many people thought was going to die with their debut In It to Win It.

The album beings with the cleverly titled intro song “Intro” that has the typical gang chant through the 50 second track, it gives a mindset is going to have impactful lyrics that have been heard before, but that’s okay it’s a part of being true the whole “I’d rather hang out with my friends”  thing which plays a large role throughout LP. The single titled “Where have you been” shows how the band can progress their sound so quickly within three songs, adding catchy chorus that both main vocalist Oshie Bichar (who can  run against the heavy weights in the scene) and Jeremy Smith  guitarist that share the stage with both complementing each other adding in the perfect mix. The fan favorite Lawnmower that appeared on their EP in 2008, is perfect teenage break up song that anyone can relate too even though its short; it’s one of the stronger song off the record.  On the later part of the album you can hear influences of early Fall Out Boy (see Reinventing the Wheel to Run myself over with) with soaring guitar work and dual vocals plus anthem sized choruses.

InVouge did the right thing of signing them on their roster. The band has some creative dynamics that helps them boost their debut. With that being said, being a debut they’re allowed to make mistakes (namely putting Caleb Shomo in  a song) but the album mistakes are hardly noticeable. The album has some creative lyrics gives hope to listener that scene isn’t going anywhere for a long time, and they have a very unique sound for being their debut album. Check out the City Lights on tour throughout North  America during the winter and spring.

RIYL: A Day To Remember, Four Year Strong.

How would you describe the bands musical development over the years?

Since 2004 it’s been a very long haul. Basically in 2004 I was pretty young and just wanted to be in a band, have fun and just play hardcore and I guess it was just kind of a joke to me at the time. I just wanted to mess around with friends, but now as I’m an adult now, I wanna play music I like and I take influence from lots of different kinds of music. Growing with your music is a pretty big part of it so I mean yeah, I used to play mosh breakdowns non stop and not take this band seriously but now I just grew up and I take myself more seriously and it’s really helped develop who I really am as a person.

Was it challenging for you guys to pump out new songs and write such personal lyrics this time around?

Yeah, well my lyrics have always been more or less personal but when I was younger I was just pissed off at a lot of stupid shit as apposed to now when I guess I’m angry at shit that really matters in this world and I care about actual things and this time around I really just wanted to write honest music. I want to write songs that everyone can actually relate to as apposed to being a baby about shitty girlfriends or shitty people, I want to write songs that mean more to not just me but to everybody and really just stick to honest music.

What’s your favourite song off the EP and why?

That’s tough, I obviously really like 1990 because it was a song that I really wrote for a lot of my friends and to find closure and get over some of our friends deaths. It’s probably the most personal song I’ve ever written and ever will write. I really love that song for that. My favourite song off the EP would have to be S.O.S.E. though, It was the first track to be written together as a new band and it was a track that pretty much helped me come to terms with a lot of things in my life. I also find that a lot of bands aren’t writing about straight edge anymore or really care about straight edge anymore and I really just wanted to show that I actually give a shit about it.

I know the song Megadeath has a very interesting story behind it, care to fill us in?

Haha, the story behind Megadeath is very funny. I actually had pneumonia when we were recording Taking Back The Nightlife but I couldn’t go to the hospital because they quoted me at something like $150 just to look at me so I had just got some non prescription flu pills from some backass corner store in North Carolina. They were some no name brand and I took one pill and it made me really drowsy. I wrote all the lyrics to that song basically half asleep. I guess the song sounds like an anti religion song but I really just do not agree with organized religion but honestly religion is just like everything… once it’s put in the wrong hands people are going to fuck it up and make it look shitty just like straight edge and basically everything. The song is really just about individualism. My entire life I was a Christian kid and one day I guess I just decided to take my own path, I began to see that the most free my mind, my body and my heart has ever been is the day that I realized I’m going to die alone. Some people will take that as a scary thing but I really took it as an epiphany and I guess it’s just helped me to this day.

With the new EP do you feel you’ve made more kids interested in your band and generally becoming more active in the hardcore/straight edge scene?

Yeah, it’s really cool actually! The hardcore scene now is really cool now because I find that a lot more kids are listening more kinds of music then ever. So you have bands like Harms Way who a few years ago would be considered a mosh metal band and hardcore kids wouldn’t care for it but now kids who are into straight up hardcore like Have Heart, Minor Threat, shit like that are still into stuff like Harms Way. It’s really cool for us because we really progressed to more of a sound that isn’t like straight up hardcore but we sit on this cool line where we’re sorta mixing genres but a lot more hardcore kids are just getting into us which is really good to see. It’s always rad to have a different Varity of people at your shows!

At a young age what initially provoked you to get involved in the straight edge scene?

It’s actually kind of a sad story to be honest. Basically my dad had to go away to jail because he was heavy into drugs and alcohol so the police basically forced my dad to go to NA (narcotics anonymous) and while in NA my dad sponsored this guy named Blake Hipson, he was straight edge. At the time I was like 13 years old and pissed off at my dad for being (in my eyes) just a piece of shit who didn’t care about his family and only cared about himself. Blake took me to my first show ever, it was the first time I really encountered pot and Blake told me he was straight edge, told me all about what it is and gave me Earth Crisis’s first demo, Minor Threat, Ten Yard Fight and just all these bands who stood for straight edge and he explained to me that it’s okay and I don’t have to be like my dad. He made me understand that there’s other people who feel the same as I do. I claimed edge when I was 14 which some people would say is bullshit because you can’t drink at 14 which I think is a crock of shit because you can drink at any age. I see 14-15 year olds getting shit faced at our shows, really age isn’t going to stop you.

Do you still feel as strongly about it? Do you think the hardcore scene has gone through a lot of changes since that time?
Since I first claimed edge, straight edge has defiantly changed. Straight edge now is not like it was when I first claimed. For like the first 5 years being in this band straight edge was very violent and very preachy. If kids didn’t like straight edge over those past 5 years I guess it would be totally understandable because shitty bands are taking the thrown and saying shit like “I kill for straight edge” and just “fuck you if you’re not straight edge” and these people wrote a lot of stupid songs and I guess it made a lot of sense if kids felt segregated. But straight edge now I actually find to be very positive, Everybody’s outlook on things are a lot cooler.
I still care about straight edge the same as when I claimed it, and I think straight edge is going through a really cool time right now. It’s very positive and just really cool to be apart of.

Straight edge and hardcore will always be a very special place for me, It’s given me a lot, it still allows me to tour. Hardcore is like anything in life… whatever you give it, it gives back to you and I find that to be a really cool thing. It’s very cliche to say straight edge and hardcore are my life but honestly touring in a hardcore band, playing hardcore shows and being apart of this scene will always be a really meaningful apart of my life no matter how old I am.

“Woah, woah, you whisper life into my soul.” This line, sung in the song Paper Thin, exemplifies everything this album is about. This album is hard-hitting, powerful, and meaningful.

Close Your Eyes is a hardcore band from Abilene, Texas. And this album is going with the theme of “everything is bigger in Texas.” The impact is bigger. Their hearts are bigger. This album is musically genius in their genre. The entire thing has powerful lyrics and melodies that will hit you hard. The amount of emotion behind the songs is evident. I just can’t get enough of this album. I highly recommend it to anyone into hardcore and/or punk. Amazing stuff. It just might change your life.

With a wide run of influences from past projects (Journey to Aspen, Storyteller, From Man In Ghost and Alexisonfire). Lambs Become Lions, an Indie/Pop group from St. Catharines, ON, are unquestionably something to keep an eye on. With their debut EP entitled “Cicada”, these St. Catharines veterans have something good in their hands, fusing piano with soothing guitar and suitable drums overlapped by passionate vocals. Songs like “Lake Ontario” and “From The Open Road” slow it down and really bring the piano and vocals into view, showing a smooth indie side to the group, whereas songs like “Not All Treasure Is Silver And Gold” really showcase the pop side of the band, with an upbeat atmosphere and catchy chorus these songs smoothly fuse together the sometimes questionable genre of this group.

From Front to back “Cicada” is a flawless display and worth picking up for fans of all types of rock. I strongly suggest you pick this record up on the indoorshoes webstore (https://indoorshoes.bigcartel.com/) and keep an eye on this band as they are currently announcing several Ontario tour dates.