On June 28, 2007, it was announced vocalist Colin Ross left the group. Ross explained he "decided would like to take a different direction with life and not live this lifestyle any longer." The band intended to continue and find a new vocalist. Subsequently, the band's guitarist Nick Thompson became their vocalist. Demo versions of the songs "Drop the Girl," "Stay Out," and "Don't Wait" with Colin Ross' vocals leaked on the internet before the album's release.
Recording
The album was produced by Rob Freeman, with recording taking place at Pilot Studios in New Jersey. It was mixed by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. The album features guest vocals from Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low on the song "Don't Wait" and Shane Henderson of Valencia on the song "Drop the Girl."
Release
Hit the Lights supported the Audition on their Spring Break '08 tour in the US from mid-March until early May. In April, the band appeared at the Bamboozle Left festival. On May 28, the band posted "Drop the Girl" on their MySpace profile. "Stay Out" was released as a single on June 24. Skip School, Start Fights was made available for streaming on July 1, before being released on July 8 through Triple Crown Records. Later in July, the band supported All Time Low on their headlining US tour. In September and October, the band supported Chiodos and Motion City Soundtrack on their co-headlining US tour. In October and November, the band supported Cobra Starship on their Sassy Back in the US. In December, the band co-headlined a tour of the UK with Bayside. They were supported by Oh No Not Stereo. On December 17, the band's cover of Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" was posted on their MySpace. On January 20, 2009, the music video for "Drop the Girl" premiered on MTV.com. The song has since been streamed over 8 million times. A few days later, the band performed at the Winter X Games. "Drop the Girl" then aired on MTV2's You Rock the Deuce on February 28. In March, the band supported the Maine and 3OH!3 on the Alternative Press Tour. Later that month, they performed at the Alternative Press party at South by Southwest festival. Between late June and late August, the band performed on the Vans Warped Tour. A limited vinyl version of the album was released in November 2017 for Triple Crown Records' 20th anniversary. "Drop the Girl" entered the top 10 on St. Louis, MO's Megarock Radio in July 2017. It peaked at #1 on March 20, 2019.
Reception
Skip School, Start Fights received generally positive reviews from music critics. Jason Tate of AbsolutePunk said, "There will always be a soft spot in my heart for this genre when done right, and this is the kind of album that definitely gets it right. It's fun, energetic, and thoroughly enjoyable." Eric Schneider of AllMusic complimented Nick Thompson's vocals. "Previously the group’s backing vocalist/guitarist, Thompson eases into the spotlight quite well on this 13-song set, as revealed on the boisterous 'Stay Out' and driving 'Don’t Wait.'" The album sold over 7,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number 97 on the Billboard 200 chart. By July 20, 2008, it sold over 10,000 copies. Acoustic versions of "Tell Me Where You Are" and "Drop the Girl" were released on the band's Coast to Coast and Just to Get Through to You EPs.
