A lot has changed in the four years since Hinds released their last album, Prettiest Curse. Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote got stuck in a creative rut; their drummer and bassist left the band, they parted ways with their management team, and they were left without a record label. Despite these setbacks, the Spanish indie rockers emerge with their fourth album, Viva Hinds. It marks the return to their old form and proves friendships can clear cloudy skies.
Cosials and Perrote are great friends. In fact, they consider themselves “millionaires of friendship”. The two have been performing and writing songs together since 2014 when they released their critically acclaimed debut. Initially, their project was called Deers, but they had to forfeit their name to a more established group for legal reasons. When they heard their fans shout “Viva Hinds”, they knew they made a good choice.
Viva Hinds opens with “Hi, How Are You?”, a question that, if posed to Cosials and Perrote, would have been “Not great.” However, any lingering pessimism dissipated when the two began writing songs for the album. The entry feels celebratory, like a reminder about everything good that is happening in your life. Interestingly, the frustrated and disappointed lyrics don’t reflect the sugar high developed from the pop hooks. “Well, if the skies are falling down,” the duo sing, “You and me won’t remember the last time we fell in love with someone.” At least when the world is going to shit, Cosials and Perrote have each other.
“Boom Boom Back” was the first song the newly inspired songwriting duo wrote for the album. The song opens with gay chatter, people talking at what sounds like a house party. The slappy drum beat and the sassy guitar riff set the good-time vibe. The upbeat mood persists even when they are singing about having a broken heart. Beck makes a cameo here, if only for a small endorsement. His presence is brief, but his endorsement of the band is huge.
The final single before the LP’s release was “The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You”, a love song sung in English and Spanish–a proud first for the group. The catchy track is the most synthpop-leaning song on the record. A watery synth line washes over the top and follows a reverb-soaked snare.
Hinds don’t reserve their love for a significant other. Instead, they celebrate their love for friends, places, dreams, and activities that make our lives fulfilling. They describe love as a “magic shelter that you can take everywhere with you”. In a sense, the song feels like an entry in a gratitude journal, a perspective that helped them overcome their hardships.
“Stranger” more properly features Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten, who delivers his verse charmingly. Hinds and Chatten have become good friends with the band and have helped them to embrace their trials and tribulations. “Superstar” is the closest thing to a ballad, yet it intensifies in the middle with powerful drums. “Mala Vista” is sung entirely in Spanish.
The songwriting duo explains that the rapid-fire delivery in “En Forma” mimics the onset of a panic attack. Carlotta further explains that the track was written during a difficult time in her life. “My boyfriend broke up with me, and I turned 30 years old in the same week,” she says. “This was the first song I could write after months of feeling absolutely devastated, immobile, and pathetic.”
Things are looking up for Hinds. The four years leading up to the release had been challenging. But when Cosials and Perrote reunited to write songs for the album, creativity surged, and the music flowed. Viva Hinds is more than a celebration of friends; it’s a high water mark for the reinvigorated Hinds.