Hux & The Hitmen “Soggy Oxygen”

Band names and album titles are a funny old thing. There’s a real coolness to Hux and The Hitmen, but we don’t think we really want to know what “Soggy Oxygen” is! Despite that, this is the debut effort from a band offering up a power pop sound that’s been described as ‘rough, tough pop’.

Opener “Stay With Me” is certainly a great power pop song to open up the EP. It’s bright and catchy, even though it dwells on more serious emotions. The more poignant, ballad like, “Goodnight” makes it very clear this is not just some run of the mill shiny power pop album. It’s only really when we get around to “Sherry” that the more straight forward power pop sound returns.

Despite being a debut release, there is a real sense of depth and maturity to the EP. “Spooks” is a really wide ranging piece of music which effortlessly shifts from balladry to a rocking power pop style. It’s a fitting centre piece to this EP. Equally “Can’t Talk To Anyone” is clearly a heartfelt tune.

It’s a brave band that tries to cover emotive areas such as depression, suicide, addiction and love. Hux & The Hitmen pull off the trick of covering those subjects in a compassionate but not necessarily dramatic manner. Some of the tracks deliver a sense of melancholy but the songs mainly end up inspiring an uplifting feeling. Which we kind of guess is the reason why they have been written, so full credit to Hux & The Hitmen.