The Florida native punk band Nightlights have just lost their LP virginity with the release of their debut album So It Goes. These punk rockers are freshly signed to Eulogy Records and have already shared the stage with the likes of Rise Against and Flogging Molly. That’s a pretty solid resume for just releasing their first LP.

So It Goes opens up with “When You Grow Up Your Heart Dies”. It contains the necessary ingredients for a token punk song. There are loud guitar riffs supported by raw vocals courtesy of lead singer Matt Messore. The f-bomb gets dropped a couple of times, while catchy riffs thrive continuously throughout. Lyrically and vocally it tries to play on darker emotions; pain, anger, standard teenage angst material. Occasionally, the band will give in to softer guitar riffs that can almost be deemed “pretty” in comparison to its counterparts. You’ll hear those in “Obviously You’re Not a Golfer” and “That John Denver is Full of Shit!”. Indisputably, there’s solid sequence between tracks. This is obvious when you reach “Good Morning Mr. Breakfast” midway through. The weakest links on the album are “Think They Show Speed Racer Here” and “Watch Out For That First Step, It’s…” The latter of the two has a dreadful chorus that will most likely stick with you for better or worst.Where the band comes up with their song names is beyond anyone who listens to the lyrics of the titled tracks. Maybe they’re just trying to be ironic.

Taken as a whole, the songs on So It Goes are indistinguishable from each other. Basically, if you dig one song you’ll dig em’ all. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nightlights found a formula that works and they’re sticking to it. There’s definitely a radio appeal to their sound. In other words, the kiddies will dig it.

Final Words: Some people love Speed Racer and some people just don’t.