Ram Reverb: “Leave Me Alone” by Hinds
On their debut full length, “Leave Me Alone,” Spanish rock quartet Hinds bring surf rock back into the garage and successfully capitalizes on the buzz built up from their breakthrough EP last year.
Known for their breezy live sets, Hinds manages to successfully bring a stunning level of spontaneity into the studio. There’s a real sense of joy here that jumps out of every track. From the very first shared verses of “Garden”, it’s impossible not to imagine the girls glancing over at each other and smiling as they launch into the spellbinding harmonies. Every track has the feeling of being at your friends’ apartment and having them suddenly say “You have to hear this new song we wrote!”
The band has been together for almost half a decade at this point and it shows. Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote trade lead vocals and beachy guitar riffs. Ade Martin lays down scuzzy bass lines and Amber Grimbergen delivers some laid-back, retro-cool drumming.
At its core, this an album full of songs about boys, but the the band unleashes a mischievous wit to keep the tracks from sounding routine. Songs like “Fat Lipped Kiddos” (Lips still hurting and my fear doesn’t know it/ You slept here for ten last night) are evocative in their simplicity. At other points, the band uses their infectious energy to make lines like “I’m flirting with this guy/Just to pretend I’m fine” sound legitimately upbeat.
Hinds has delivered one of the best albums of the young year, and it should be a PBR-accompanied staple throughout 2016.
Sounds Like: A 60’s girl group hosting a grungy basement party
Perfect for: Drinking beers and bitching about boys (or girls)
Music Desk, Josh Buck
I’m an almost annoyingly outspoken feminist who loves writing about gender and race in mainstream art. I once had to be almost physically removed from Disneyland because my friends said it’s not cool to be the very last person in the park. I can’t wait to graduate in the spring so I can point my car West with no money and no plan, and spend months seeing the country, writing and meeting people.
