voices on the verse and chorus. It worked for us on the first record; it became a trademark sound. Not degrading it, we loved it, but at some point you have to grow as an artist or you get stuck. According to Lisa: We made that record [The Secret Life Of...] two years ago. It would be so dated to do it again. I feel we're staying current but staying ourselves. It was a natural progression. We wanted a challenge, to take it somewhere new. People had become used to our sound. Other artists released that sound using songs we'd written. We get asked, "Did you get pushed into this sound?" We were doing the pushing! Critical reception and commercial performance K. Ross Hoffman of Allmusic gave the album a positive review, stating that the band "decided to take a page from the t.A.T.u. playbook". Hoffman praised that the album "is an improvement upon its predecessor in almost every regard, consolidating its strengths while making bold and exploratory forward leaps that verge on a wholesale stylistic reinvention." He states the songs at their core are "expertly crafted pop/rock tunes" and anyone who enjoyed their previous studio album would "embrace this album". Hoffman ends the review stating that the album is the "finest teen pop releases of the year." Cameron Adams of The Herald Sun also gave the album a positive review, stating that "this is one twisted, subversive pop album." He also states "It's not as laden with obvious hits as their debut, and takes more risks than most young pop stars would. In a word: brash." Hook Me Up was commercially successful in Australia and New Zealand. In November 2007, it debuted at number two on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart with sales of 9,531 copies. The album certified gold in its first week and was kept off the top spot by The Eagles album Long Road Out of Eden (2007). The album dropped off the chart after eleven months, spending a total of fifty-one weeks in the top fifty. The Australian Recording Industry Association awarded the album double platinum certification for shipping 140,000 copies and became the twenty-eighth highest selling album in Australia for 2007. At the 2008 ARIA Awards, the album was nominated for "Highest Selling Album" and "Best Pop Release" but lost both awards to Delta by Delta Goodrem and Lessons to Be Learned by Gabriella