Just like in 2014, when they arrived as Deers, and more than ever, Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote are the band here. After undergoing a name change, and two members joining, Hinds offered up three records of pop bliss, with the last one, The Prettiest Curse, showing up in 2020. A four-year gap and the depature of those two other members hasn't diminished the chops of these two musicians. The evidence is in VIVA HINDS, the new album, out this week. It's quite possibly the most joyous, most infectious bit of pop business Carlotta and Ana have offered up to date. And that's saying something!
From the sass of "Coffee", to the world-weariness of "Superstar", the sound of Hinds has progressed. This isn't heavy stuff, but there's a trace or two of seriosness in some of the lyrics, enough that one notices. Still, "Boom Boom Back", a collaboration with Beck, bounces with youthful energy, as does "En Forma", one of two tracks here sung in the duo's native Spanish. That one pleases instantly, as does "The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You", a breathy bit of dream-pop business. Ana's bass anchors that number, while her keyboards keep "En Forma" and "On My Own" from flying away on the backs of their energetic hooks. An Oasis-y guitar line from Carlotta kicks "Bon Voyage" into high gear, with the album closer having a near-glam rock heft to it. And while Grian Chatten from Fontaines D.C. lends vocals to the plaintive "Stranger", the vocals from Ana and Carlotta are, of course, what pull at the heart-strings in the song.
It's reasonable to listen to VIVA HINDS and expect to hear a change, a difference from when this band was a four-piece, or a stylistic shift caused by time away. But what makes more sense is to play this record and see if it's full of music just as enthusiastic, clever, and inventive as that which came before. The music certainly is every bit the equal of those familiar Hinds faves from the past, while besting them on many levels. There's a confidence in the vocals of Ana and Carlotta that is apparent, as well as a vigor that suggests a happiness at being back with such robust material in their hands.
VIVA HINDS, like each Hinds release before it, seems the best thing that Cosials and Perrote have ever offered up. Hearing so many records day after day, you sort of get jaded. That is, you get jaded until something so re-playable comes along. It's that listenability -- that whole catchy, upbeat vibe that Hinds have nearly claimed as all their own -- that makes VIVA HINDS the record I'm going to play the most in 2024.
VIVA HINDS by Hinds will be out on Friday via Lucky Number Music. Details below.
[Photo: Dario Vazquez]