Kill the Lights is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Luke Bryan. It was released on August 7, 2015, by Capitol Nashville. The album's lead single, "Kick the Dust Up", was released to country radio on May 19, 2015. "Strip It Down" was released as the second single from the album on August 4, 2015. The album's third single, "Home Alone Tonight", was released to country radio on November 23, 2015. The album's fourth single, "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day" released to country radio on March 14, 2016. The album's fifth single, "Move" released to country radio on July 25, 2016. All five singles reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Bryan the first country music artist ever to have five number one singles from two albums apiece. In November 2016, the album's sixth single, "Fast", was sent to country radio. With "Fast" also reaching number one in April 2017, Bryan became the first artist in the chart's history to achieve six number one singles from one album. Kill the Lights garnered more positive reviews from music critics than Bryan's previous albums. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, moving 345,000 album-equivalent units in the week ending of August 13.
Critical reception
Kill the Lights has received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a "weighted average" rating out of 100 from selected independent ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a Metascore of 69/100, based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rates the album four stars conveying: "Kill the Lights winds up feeling happy and generous, an inclusive record that plays to teenage desires as effectively as memories of an adolescence left behind." The publication Billboard rates the album three and a half stars, and Jewly Hight commenting: "the fact that Kill the Lights features a pensive, black-and-white cover shot – the rare photo in which he's not smiling even a little – is a hint: He isn't simply going about his business-as-usual fun on this album." Brian Mansfield rates the album three stars out of four at USA Today proffering: "The hits are fine, but that's the guy who's really worth getting to know." Maura Johnston gives the album a positive review on behalf of The Boston Globe suggesting: "Bryan might have broken up with spring break, but crashing pop's party will probably offer him just as good a time."
The Oakland Presss Gary Graff rates the album a B submitting: "Bryan has found his lane, and he doesn't mess with it on 'Kill The Lights,' a characteristically likable collection of friendly come-ons, lost love laments and sentimental odes to gravel roads and car rides to the nearest big town...It's solid from start to finish, refining what fans know and, mostly, love about Bryan's music and ensuring that his career lights will continue to shine for the foreseeable future." Dave Heaton rates the album a seven for PopMatters espousing: "So bro-country this is, in that the women are shadows and might be figments of the man's imagination." Entertainment Weeklys Madison Vain rates the album a B asserting: "Considering Crashs success, messing with the formula on Kill the Lights would be a calculated risk. And Lights is nothing if not calculating." The magazine Nash Country Weeklys Bob Paxman rates the album a B claiming: "Kill the Lights isn't consistently pleasing, but it does represent a progression and evolution from Luke's previous material." The Plain Dealers Chuck Yarborough rates the album a B− claiming: "It's a new phase. And a welcome one." Glenn Gamboa from Newsday rates the album a B+ surmising: "Experimenting is good, but sometimes sticking to what you know is even better."