‘The Prettiest Curse’ by Hinds — A Portrait of a Band Never Giving In
★ by Carly Tagen-Dye ★
The chorus of ‘Just Like Kids (Miau)’ — a single released by Spanish rock band Hinds earlier this April — is one that follows you everywhere. In the accompanying music video, the band bounces between bright orange rooms and blue carpeted walls, scenes interspersed by shots of them playing their instruments. Vocalists/guitarists Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote channel their inner ’90s MTV stars, taking on the fisheye lens with everything they’ve got. Drummer Amber Grimbergen keeps a sly smile on her face as she slaps on her skins, keeping the beat steady. Bassist Ade Martin stares into the camera with a determined glare, as if daring anyone who challenges the band to make another move. The video is fun and frenzied, Hinds doing everything from eating French fries to being pelted by tennis balls. Your head is spinning by the time the song’s hook explodes.
“We are all afraid of that long road!” Cosials and Perrote screech in unison, their voices merging as ‘Kids’ reaches its climax.
For a band as fearless as Hinds, it’s a strange, almost humbling, statement to hear. Since joining forces in 2014, the Madrid-based musicians have slipped into the rockstar personas as if they were made for them. From the stage diving to the shredding, to the spraying of drinks on their audiences, their live shows prove that the girls have very few limits.
They’re the band I always turn to when I need a boost; they are a band that never fails to make me feel empowered and like the world is waiting for me to take over. They’re also the band who, in recent months, were forced to postpone release dates, cancel press and scrap an entire world tour (twice). It’s been tough for Hinds musically and personally, and yet, they’ve managed to come out the other end more victorious than when they started. The Prettiest Curse, the band’s third studio album released June 5 via Mom+Pop Music, has been a long time coming and was more than worth the wait.
Best known for their garage rock sound — the kind that whisks you into a gritty basement show no matter where you are — Hinds takes a somewhat different route with their latest LP. After working with producer Jennifer Decilveo (Joseph, Bat for Lashes, Albert Hammond Jr.), the band found a new niche and tossed out their usual recording and songwriting processes. The result: a record rooted in all the best that pop — and Hinds — has to offer.
The opening track ‘Good Bad Times’ sounds like it could be the theme for a Saturday morning cartoon, featuring synth keys and steady beats cool enough to swim in. Identity plays a large role within these auditory walls, and the Spanish lyrics woven amongst the English keep that clear. ‘Riding Solo,’ a song that speaks to the loneliness of the road, features another catchy chorus. We follow the group as they grapple with the chaos of travel and adulthood, building up to a bridge that’s as explosive as a car blowing up (see it in action here). Still, Hinds knows when to wander back to their roots. Tracks like ‘Burn’ and ‘Boy’ keep the breakneck riffs and DIY atmosphere we loved since the start, assuring us the band is still sentimental too.
“Hinds have always mastered capturing growing pains, but now with songs more akin to diary entries, they let us in on a secret of their own: they’re just as afraid as we are.”
The more you listen, the more you realize you’re witnessing a major transformation, sonically and beyond, for the girls. ‘Just Like Kids (Miau)’ is a song that Cosials admitted she couldn’t have written a couple of years ago; now, though, she’s confident enough to tackle the important issues it highlights. Coined as the feminist anthem of the year, the vocals take on a taunting tone, the band shooting back at the all of the prejudice and sexism they’ve faced since their formation (everything from having their accents mocked and their legs drooled over).
‘Come Back and Love Me <3,’ with its classical guitar, highlights Hinds’ softer, more vulnerable side. Cosials’ wails hit hard (“Don’t make me say it / we both know we crossed the line”). She’s desperate for her lover to see that she’s changed, and for us to see that love is just as complicated as the movies make it out to be. The emotion builds on closing track ‘This Moment Forever,’ a slow, introspective confession about embracing intimacy. The riffs warm your heart, and while the album ends on a note of desperation, it makes you glad that you reached that point in the first place. Hinds have always mastered capturing growing pains, but now with songs more akin to diary entries, they let us in on a secret of their own: they’re just as afraid as we are. This record shows what can come when we face those fears head-on.
The Prettiest Curse is more than just another album released during a pandemic: it’s a portrait of a band determined to never give in. Merging new sounds with old, Hinds prove that real growth lies in stepping outside our comfort zone and taking hold of what we want. These tracks are entire worlds contained, yet the real narrative lies within the band’s ability to craft them in ways that only propel us forward. Hinds’ ruthless strength these past few months have proven a lot, but this album, as all music does, speaks louder than they may realize. As we all move along on that long road, Hinds might be exactly what we need.