Album CDs and album merch will be available at this show for The Hugs’ new album Waking Up In the Future, ahead of the official release date on June 5!
The Hugs are a dynamic blend of 90’s Brit-pop and Pacific Northwest grunge. Founded in 2007 in Portland, OR.
The Hugs push their alternative pop foundation into forward-thinking territory—blending classic song craft with subtle experimentation and modern production choices that feel distinctly 2026 without chasing indie trends.
Portland, OR–based alternative pop band The Hugs return with Waking Up In The Future, their ninth full-length album, arriving June 5, 2026. The record finds the band expanding their brit pop-influenced alternative sound into something more reflective, cinematic, and forward-looking—balancing melodic immediacy with late-night introspection. Across nine tracks, Waking Up In The Future explores time, futuristic themes, romance, and quiet optimism (in an increasingly fast paced digital world), pairing warm guitar textures and hook-driven songwriting with subtle electronic elements, big drums, and lo-fi atmospheres. Songs shift effortlessly between intimate, late-night moments to expansive and cinematic passages.
Portland’s Risley (Riz – Lee) is a four piece band that can be described as dreamy and nostalgic Indie Rock with a twist of 80s British influence. A web of guitar melodies often sit atop a driving rhythm section to stage the back drop for soaring vocals and thoughtful lyrics. They celebrated the release of their new album, ‘Umbra Penumbra’, this Spring at Mississippi Studios. This June, the band was honored and thrilled to share their live session in the KEXP studios, where they had charted for six weeks.. The record also notably features a guest appearance on the song ‘Walls’ by Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam) on drums.
