Lights Out (Sugarcult album)

Lights Out
Studio album by
Sugarcult
ReleasedSeptember 12, 2006
Genre
Length38:56
Label
ProducerGavin MacKillop
Sugarcult chronology
Palm Trees and Power Lines
(2004) 		Lights Out
(2006)
Singles from Lights Out
  1. "Do It Alone"
    Released: July 18, 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Melodic[2]

Lights Out is the third and final studio album by American rock band Sugarcult, released on September 12, 2006 by Fearless Records and V2 Records. Produced by Gavin MacKillop, the album peaked at number 64 on the US Billboard 200 and marks the band's last studio work before their "de facto" hiatus. it is the last album to featured Kenny Livingston as the drummer before the original drummer Ben Davis would rejoined the band in 2011. The record is widely categorized as alternative rock and pop-punk, with reviewers noting a shift toward a more "modern rock" or "pop-rock" sound compared to their earlier punk-heavy material.

Recording and production

The band’s record label Artemis Records had been absorbed by V2 Records prior to the release. Guitarist Marko DeSantis described the era as the band’s "grand arrival" after years of building a fanbase, though the label's power felt less stable than they initially hoped.[3] DeSantis viewed the album as a "two-part dissertation": one half focused on self-medication through one-night stands and the other on frustration with the music industry.

Gavin MacKillop served as producer and recording engineer, Tom Lord-Alge handled the mixing at South Beach Studios, bringing his signature high-energy "glossed production" to the tracks and Steve Marcussen mastered the album at Marcussen Mastering. The sessions took place across three primary studios in Los Angeles: Full Kilt Studios, Sage & Sound and Music Friends Studios. The album made extensive use of Pro Tools engineering, with a team including Kyle Homme, Mauro Rubbi, Tim Pagnotta, and Vince Jones. Additional instrumental layers like the E-Bow and keyboards were provided by session musicians Martyn LeNoble and Victor Indrizzo. The band moved away from the "carefree, punky anthems" of their debut toward a more "serious, hard-rock stance". Frontman Pagnotta adopted a "rougher" and "scruffier" vocal delivery compared to earlier releases, which critics noted added to the album's mature, albeit darker, atmosphere.

Release

On June 12, Lights Out was announced for release.[4] "Do It Alone" was released to radio on July 18; the song's music video was posted online on August 4, 2006.[4][5] On August 24, 2006, Lights Out was made available for streaming, before being released on September 12 through Fearless/V2.[4][6] The next day, an alternative video for "Do It Alone" was posted online.[7] In September and October, the band went on a headlining tour, with support from the Spill Canvas, Halifax, Maxeen, and So They Say.[4] Following this, they appeared at the Bamboozle Left festival, and toured the US throughout November 2006 with the Pink Spiders.[8][9] In April and May 2007, the band supported Talib Kweli on the Virgin College Mega Tour in the US.[10] In August 2007, the band headlined the Bay Area Indie Music Festival.[11]

Reception

Critics generally describe the album as a solid but "safe" pop-punk record. A critic from Sputnikmusic praised the album for being "catchy as hell," particularly highlighting the opening intro and the track "Dead Living".[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tim Pagnotta, except where noted.

Standard Edition
No.TitleLength
1."Lights Out"0:38
2."Dead Living"3:39
3."Los Angeles"3:58
4."Do It Alone" (Pagnotta, Nick Herrick, Brent Mulligan, Sean Mulligan)3:07
5."Explode"1:53
6."Out of Phase"3:26
7."Made a Mistake" (Pagnotta, Gavin MacKillop, Brooke Heller)4:14
8."Riot"3:28
9."Majoring in Minors" (Pagnotta, MacKillop)2:55
10."Shaking"3:52
11."The Investigation"3:50
12."Hiatus"4:02
Total length:38:56
Japanese Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Freezing"1:51
14."A Hard Day's Night" (John Lennon and Paul McCartney)2:25
Total length:43:11

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13] 12
US Billboard 200[14] 64

References

  1. ^ link
  2. ^ Wippsson, Johan (September 11, 2006). "Sugarcult - Lights Out". Melodic. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "Sugarcult's Marko DeSantis Discusses 'Lights Out' Anniversary". chorus.fm. September 15, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d "New Sugarcult album's title, release date revealed". Alternative Press. June 12, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  5. ^ Paul, Aubin (August 4, 2006). "Sugarcult's 'Do It Alone' video posted". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Paul, Aubin (August 24, 2006). "Sugarcult full album stream posted". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  7. ^ Paul, Aubin (September 13, 2006). "Sugarcult posts new version of 'Do It Alone' video". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  8. ^ Paul, Aubin (July 17, 2006). "Bamboozle 'Left' with Dashboard Confessional, Brand New, Thrice, Plus 44, Bled, Pink Spiders". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  9. ^ Reinecker, Meg (October 25, 2006). "Sugarcult / the Pink Spiders". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "Talib Kweli, Sugarcult, William Tell on Virgin College Tour". Alternative Press. March 29, 2007. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  11. ^ Paul, Aubin (May 17, 2007). "Sugarcult, Goodbye Gadget, Push To Talk at 2007 Bay Area Indie Music Festival". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "Sugarcult - Lights Out (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  13. ^ "Album on Oricon News". Oricon News. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  14. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of September 30, 2006". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2026.


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