Photo Credit: Dario Vazquez
The inception of Hinds as a band ten years ago hasn’t been without it’s problems. An early name change from Dears was forced upon then by another band of the same name, but they still managed to release debut album Leave Me Alone in 2016, followed by I Don’t Run in 2018. This was enough to establish themselves as a band, as festival appearances at Glastonbury and Coachella testify to, as well as tours supporting Coldplay and The Strokes among others.
Now, the Spanish indie rockers Hinds release their fourth album VIVA HINDS via Lucky Number. Hailing from Madrid, Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote have a growing following in the UK and achieved international success, even though it has been four years since the release of their last album Prettiest Curse. The band were held back a lot due to the pandemic, having to cancel a tour, as well as the small matter of losing half their members with the departure of their bassist and drummer. On a more positive note though, they have on VIVA HINDS a collection of songs that are F-U-N and definitely left an impression on us – these new songs are going to sound great live next year.
VIVA HINDS was recorded at two homes in rural France, accompanied by producer Pete Robertson (Beabadoobee) and Grammy-nominated engineer Tom Roach. Hi, How Are You is the perfect start to the ten-track album. The guitar work sounds like it’s from a ’90s grunge band, but it works well with the duo vocals from Cosials and Perrote. The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You is a quirky song title and begins with a mellow keyboard that will have you nodding along. This one is also straight out of the ’90s with a Saint Etienne vibe, the musicians work beautifully together making it one of the standout tracks on the album.
Boom Boom Back is the first of two collaborations on VIVA HINDS, the one and only Beck makes an appearance on this one. It’s well suited to Beck’s style of music, with some funky vibes and an infectious chorus: “Do you wanna fall in love with a broken heart/Do you wanna ride? Ride in my mirage/Do you wanna be the one that feels the Boom Boom Back?” This was the first song they wrote for the album, when Hinds had a chance meeting with Beck at a film screening in Los Angeles. Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten makes a guest appearance on Stranger, sharing vocals with Cosials and Perrote – it’s well worth a listen. They became friends with Chatten a while back and this is a lovely collaboration. Musically i’s a slower, almost acoustic sounding song and works perfectly, making it another highlight of the album.
Superstar starts with a slow, acoustic guitar riff, before building into a melodic indie tune that is sure to get your foot tapping. Both vocalists once again pull it off – the connection between them in the live shows is special, as we witnessed when we saw them at Stereo Glasgow earlier this year. They call themselves “millionaires in friendship” and that is definitely a true reflection. Mala Vista is an opportunity for the duo to sing in their native tongue. We think it is important for bands to pay homage to their roots and this is done twice on VIVA HINDS.
En Forma (translated as healthy or fit) is also sung entirely in Spanish, but the language barrier doesn’t really matter here as it is a nice piece of music to listen along to. Perrote comments on the song “To me, the song represents how fucking complicated it is to be a person these days, and the complexity of being a woman, especially trying to juggle the news, politics, our bodies, our exes, the laundry, how do people do it?” A philosophical note that will leave you pondering. Bon Voyage is a nice soft end to an album that left us proclaiming this as their best yet.
As we write this review Hinds are just about to play the first of three London shows at Rough Trade East, Lafayette and Two Palms, before their headline run across Mexico, USA and Canada. The duo’s UK and European tour begins in February 2025 and is one this guy is really looking forward to.
9/10
Standout Tracks: The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You, Stranger, Superstar
For Fans Of: Dream Wife, Courtney Barnett
Written by: Alan Brown
