It seems that the maturity level of
Lagwagon increased dramatically after the release of their second album,
Trashed. On
Hoss, there are no butchered covers, nor are there any half-hearted attempts to bring out the happier side of the rock & roll lifestyle. This is a good thing, though;
Lagwagon have a "take no slack" mentality without coming across as macho tough guys. In other words, these guys want to be taken more seriously without falling into the category of being another Fat Wreck Chord clone band. They pull it off with
Hoss, even if it still has that
Lagwagon style of fast-paced pop-punk and harmonies. The drastic difference is that there's more of an edge to be found here. ~ Mike DaRonco