Chris Gerard: British synth-pop duo is best known for their 2010 single “Wonderful Life”, which became a substantial hit in Europe. Their third album, Surrender, is due in October, and they may have stumbled upon a breakthrough. “Lights” goes from sophisticated mid-tempo pop during the verses to a more upbeat dance vibe for the chorus. The dramatic and visually arresting video directed by Dawn Shadforth serves the song well. If given a chance, “Lights” could be the song to break Hurts to a wider audience. [8/10]
Eric Risch: A cinematic mashup of Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie and Gene Kelly, the video for “Lights” from British synth-pop act Hurts is a bloody mess. Ceding the redundant dance track to C Plot status, the video’s ancillary characters are the most interesting element of this misguided visual foray. [3/10]
Paul Duffus: Another day, another dose of slick synth-pop irrelevance. Stylistically this is like the loading music from an unreleased edition of Grand Theft Auto, one of the great jokes of those games being their lampooning of pop culture cliches and time periods. “Lights” feels like a parody of a parody. There was once a point when pop music was forward looking. Archaeology has now replaced futurism. [3/10]