Seven Miles of Love leads from the gate with the driving rock we’ve come to expect after Hoggboy’s onslaught of singles and their debut LP, Or 8? On the opening number, “400 Boys,” guitars hook from the first beat, keys pound out endless eighths, and the song essentially begins with an infectious chorus of epidemic proportions. This Manchester foursome have seemingly honed in on the hit-making formula so flawlessly, one has to wonder if there’s perhaps too much perfection.
Adding to their mastery, the band also took the reigns of production into their own hands on this album, with the exception of “Get There” (which sounds essentially no different from the rest, beside maybe a bit easier on the reverb and fuzz.)
For a band of sleazily hot British rockers, it’s no surprise that their reputation is high for cloakroom quickies and lyrics that rampantly revolve around singular sexual interludes (i.e., “Urgh!!!”, from Or 8 – an entire track dedicated to a blow job on a couch.) But Tom (Hogg, Vocals) admits a bit of emotion on this album, especially on “So Alone,” which essentially boasts of his innumerable sexual conquest, and yet, as the title says he’s “so alone.”
As Seven Miles… plays out, we find that it doesn’t stick to the staggeringly perfect rock formula all the way through and fortunately so. The tracks that diverge provide a welcome variety, and consequently give credibility to those heart-stopping anthems Hoggboy is known for.
