Hit the Lights and Fox Royale

Prior to Hit the Lights, vocalist Colin Ross and guitarist Omar Zehery had been members of the local band The Goodbye Session. Guitarist Nick Thompson previously performed with the band the Summer Departure, and along with former Hawthorne Heights bassist David Bermosk and drummer Nate Van Dame, formed Hit the Lights in 2003. The band made their recording debut on the EP “Leaving Town Tonight” released in 2004. Hit the Lights’ subsequent EP “Until We Get Caught”, was issued on Silent Movie Records a year later in 2005, and reissued by Triple Crown Records shortly after.

The band’s debut album “This Is a Stick Up… Don’t Make It a Murder”, was issued by Triple Crown in 2007 and reached No. 41 on the U.S. Heatseekers chart. Hit the Lights had earned a significant fan base which led the group to headline the Let It Ride Tour 2007, supported by Just Surrender, All Time Low, and Valencia. September 2007 marked the last performance for vocalist Colin Ross, with guitarist Nick Thompson taking over the reigns. Thompson’s first album as lead vocalist, “Skip School Start Fights” arrived in 2008 and spawned the videos “Stay Out” and “Drop the Girl”. The album reached No. 97 on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the band joining the roster at 2009’s Warped Tour and a U.S. headlining tour.

After embarking on a tour of Australia alongside New Found Glory and Fireworks, Hit the Lights signed with major label Universal Republic Records. Amidst the pressure to write a Top 40 hit and label restructuring the band later asked to be freed of their Universal Republic contract, and subsequently released the teaser EP “Invicta” in late 2011. The album, also entitled “Invicta” arrived in January 2012, and was supported by a East Coast tour which included former singer Colin Ross.