“When you’re in the tunnel, you never know if the darkness is ever going to end.” Carlotta Cosials is visibly emotional. She’s reflecting on how her band, the effervescent, Spanish indie-rock outfit, Hinds, very nearly collapsed.
At the end of 2022, Hinds’ drummer, Amber Grimbergen, and bassist, Ade Martín, decided they’d had enough. They told their bandmates – Carlotta and Ana García Perrote – they were quitting the band. It was several months before the split was announced on social media, prompting speculation as to what exactly happened. Things clearly weren’t straightforward.
“It’s really tough these days to keep a band together. You have three, four, or five different personalities that need to agree on everything. You have a lot of solo artists now and they are like ‘woosh’, just flying you know. In bands, there is more resistance. In bands, it’s a different thing. You need to understand each other, listen to each other, give space to each other. That’s tough for every single band I know.”
Since the split, Ade Martín has been furthering her solo project, Shanghai Baby. You could view the lyrics to her songs as either coincidental or revealing. The whole ordeal has clearly left scars all around but, after a period of doubt, Ana and Carlotta seem to have come back swinging. Tonight’s euphoric, emotional Trades Club gig, the finale to a short run of UK dates, feels like a celebration, a triumphant, glorious rising.
“We were really hurt,” says Carlotta. “But now, I sometimes feel bad for saying it, but I feel liberated. I feel like ‘Wow. This is so so special and full of fun and excitement and joy.’ Maria and Paula [newly installed on drums and bass] are so talented. It’s amazing.”
Maria and Paula do indeed fit right in, providing a pummelling, rhythmic backdrop to the fizzed-up, glam theatrics of Ana and Carlotta up front. Hinds’ trusted favourites Riding Solo, New For You, Chili Town and The Club sound as good as ever, while two covers – Spanish Bombs by The Clash and Thee Headcoatees’ Davey Crockett, now something of a Hinds signature tune – seem to reach all parts of the crowd.
There’s new material too. Four songs are given an airing tonight. They all sound unmistakably Hinds – the trashy-guitar crunch and excited vocal yelps are their trademark – but there’s an injection of freshness too, a depth and sophistication, and most tellingly a bravery to take a chance and veer from the formula. There’s one track, in particular, that exemplifies their new beginnings. It’s stripped back – the drums and bass cast to the silent shadows – with Carlotta chugging out a simple chord structure. It’s raw, and strangely, its openness and vulnerability demonstrate a different kind of confidence.
“I think sometimes when I fail with the guitar it’s OK because everyone knows that when I’m focused I can do it. But I’m messing up because I’m jumping around, or I’m doing a handstand…”
The new-look Hinds, full of sprawling garage-rock chaos, are embracing risk. The first of two encores begins with Carlotta on Ana’s shoulders. Difficulty rating 10. For the familiar closer, Davey Crockett, they hand guitar duties to their sound tech and an ardent fan in the front row, allowing them the freedom to roam off-stage and cajole the crowd into a unified crescendo.
Hinds are very tactile. Incredibly sociable. They love human connection and interaction, warmly embracing friends and fans after the show around the merch table. They feed – and feed off – the emotive response of a room.
“I really love playing live. I can’t believe just how much I have missed it. I cannot live without it.
Fans will be delighted to know a new album is on the way. Hinds will be doing more of what they know and love best – live shows – throughout the summer and autumn. And to think, it so nearly didn’t happen.
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Support the artist
Listen to tracks on bandcamp and follow the band on Instagram.
Words & media: Stephen Desmond
Main photo credit: Dario Vazquez
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