Album Notes

“Dreams” seduces with cyclic guitar melodies and occasional bongo beats, calling on Revolver-era Beatles at their trippiest, before the reverb kicks in and Delegato lets rip with the fiery warning ‘get out of my dreams’ augmented by grungy Vines-like chorus harmonies.

“Again & Again” is fittingly diverse – wild, giddy, faint and reflective – such has been the nature of their recent lives. At times it’s a party – they swagger and they shout – and at times shit goes down and they scratch their heads and wonder."

-David Elliot-Jones

"The band has grown exponentially since arriving in early 2007, and now their second self-released LP "Again & Again" (October 2009) has possibly put them on the brink of something big."

-Ryan Rudnansky

” Even on The Hugs’ earliest recordings, it is apparent that the group possesses a gift for swagger that cannot be taught–which has only grown since their formation." "Prior to their association with London's 1965 Records/Columbia UK, The Hugs had a propensity for mining inspiration from the 1960s and that sound can be heard in their music to this day. "

"Sing-along melodies and fuzz-blasted guitars create a healthy approximation of pop circa the middle of the century, and Delegato’s songwriting mantra of ”really [thinking] about what people want to hear” pays off for the band as they craft tunes that wouldn’t have been out of place at Woodstock.”

"Despite the expectations being heaped on their commercial output in 2007, Delegato and his band have tried to remain involved in their hometown scene.

" Pulling opening slots for The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols, The Walkmen, The Cribs, The Kooks, as well as hosting free 'warehouse party shows' at their old practice space on Lovejoy has helped the band feed off the "really good vibe" that Portland provides to upcoming musicians."

-Shane Danaher (PSU Vanguard)

“I love The Hugs from Portland, Oregon. They’re kind of like The Libertines but are taking it all from their own direction. They’re a band who really know how to put a tune together and i’m totally dead excited about them."

-Carl Barat (The Libertines/NME Magazine 2007)

"There's a band called The Hugs that I like a lot. They play folk rock. They're a Portland band. I really like their songs."

-Gus Van Sant (Movie Director/2008)