Direct Hit!

Direct Hit! emerged in 2007 when Milwaukee singer and guitarist Nick Woods launched the pop-punk outfit, known for its compact, fist-pumping anti-anthems reminiscent of Sum 41 and the Vandals. Before forming the group, Woods had played guitar in the Madison indie-rock band the Box Social. The new project’s goal was to bypass the conventional cycle of full-length records spaced years apart and instead focus on a steady stream of singles and EPs issued in rapid, comic-book fashion; between 2008 and 2010 the band pursued that approach with notable intensity. In 2011 Direct Hit! delivered its debut album, Domesplitter, which reworked songs originally heard on those early EPs. Additional split releases came next, leading to a 2013 contract with Red Scare and the appearance of the concept album Brainless God, whose lyrics center on apocalyptic themes. The record earned favorable notice and inspired a matching full-length short film, unveiled in installments on outlets such as Vice and The Onion’s A.V. Club. With the lineup stabilized around Woods, Danny Walkowiak, Devon Kay, and Steve Maury, the band moved to Fat Wreck Chords and issued its third studio album, Wasted Mind, in 2016. Early the following year Fat Wreck Chords reissued the debut Domesplitter on vinyl, complete with fresh artwork.