No One Has More Fun Than Hinds
The band who came all the way from the beautiful city of Madrid to play in New York City
The floors of the Warsaw in Greenpoint, Brooklyn vibrated on a Tuesday night. The crowd buzzed and bounced from side to side, their exuberant hum floating all the way up to the ceiling. Like many other concert venues in New York City, the Warsaw is standing room only. The space feels full but not overcrowded, just the right amount of room to dance with your neighbor without elbowing them in the jaw during your surprise spin move. I was right in preparing for a surprise dance fit, because Hinds, the Madrid-based indie-rock duo, brought the house down.
PHOTO BY OLIVE JOLLEY
Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote, the minds behind Hinds, were so elated to be on stage that their energy was palpable. The two said that Hinds made their debut about 10 years ago, and their journey has not exactly been scoff-free. The duo was initially a four-piece, but their bassist and drummer devastatingly decided to leave the band in 2020 after the release of their third album, The Prettiest Curse. The group had also recently split with their management team, lost touring revenue due to lockdowns and were without a record label for the first time. But the two explained that their sudden separation from all tethers allowed them to rekindle their true passion for music. Once they found that, success naturally followed.
They also said collaborating on songwriting again revived their friendship and reminded them they only really needed each other to get through. The audience could definitely feel their connection on stage, as they smiled and clapped together all night long. I would say danced together, but Perrote was notably static due to her broken foot. After walking in on a crutch and standing on a boot for the first few songs, the duo introduced the situation by illuminating an image of Perrote’s x-ray that hung in front of her piano. She explained that she cried for about 10 minutes, then realized that she’s still breathing, still traveling the US on tour and still gets to play on stage night after night with her best friends.
“You know, I’d rather be here, on this stage with one foot than anywhere f*cking else with two,” Perrote exclaimed, met with an uproar from the crowd.
One of the first songs the band performed was “Boom Boom Back,” a high energy dance ballad that traces all the expectations of a girls night out. The song starts with an energetic guitar riff and pulses with raw, garage-rock energy that feels both chaotic and refreshingly honest. This track merges a grittier inflection with lo-fi production, solidifying the unpolished edge that’s emblematic of their sound. Vocally, the song explores both playful and brash elements, layering a sense of rebellion over a steady beat.
Somewhere in the way in the middle of my loneliness
Feeling strange in the house of a mutual friend
I said, "Nope, thank you though, you know I don't do cocaine”
Cosials and Perrote’s subtle harmonies walk listeners into the chorus, infusing a smooth, sweet interlude into the rock-driven versus. The guitars kick in soon after, adding in an extra layer of grit and amplifying the song’s rough-around-the-edges charm. The chanted, sing-along element of the chorus allowed the audience to easily participate, bringing all of us together into one rallying cry. Raw and unfiltered, this section truly solidifies Hind’s signature blend of playful irreverence and hard rock spirit.
If you wanna fall in love in a bar tonight
Do you wanna fall in love with a broken heart?
Do you wanna ride? Ride in my Mirage?
Do you wanna be the one that feels the boom boom back?
“Boom, Boom, Back,” was also one of the album's few collaborations. The duo worked with Beck for this song and Fontaines D.C.'s Grian Chatten on the song “Stranger.”
PHOTO BY OLIVE JOLLEY
Hinds released their fourth album VIVA HINDS on September 6, and their current world tour is a celebration of that achievement. The album was written by Cosias and Perrote throughout 2023 with five singles released as a prelude: “Coffee,” “Boom, Boom, Back,” “En Forma,” “Superstar” and “The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You.” Recorded in rural France, the album was produced by Pete Robertson (Beabadoobee), engineered by Tom Roach, and mixed by engineer Caesar Edmunds (The Killers, Wet Leg).
The origin of the album title dates back to the band’s beginnings in 2014. The band was originally called Deers, but for legal reasons, they had to change it to Hinds. As they continued to perform under their new name, fans started cheering, “¡VIVA HINDS!” to greet them. They said what initially felt like an ending was actually just the beginning.
Before the US leg of the tour began on October 9, the group released a bi-lingual bonus track for the album called “Bats.” The duo said they wrote this song after seeing the movie ANOTHER ROUND (DRUK) in the theater.
“We couldn’t stop thinking about it, especially the last scene where Mad Mikkelsen starts dancing frantically until he jumps fully dressed to the water. ‘BATS’ is accepting that everything is blurry and confusing. In Spanish and in English. It’s a dance with your darkest thoughts. A dance with your ugliest demons,” they said in a press release.
During the final song of the Brooklyn show, the band stopped the music and explained that being an all-female band, they still sometimes face stigma in the male-dominated music world. In order to do their part in combating that, they brought a female guitar player from the audience on stage. Jenny, the audience member, got an opportunity to play Cosials’ guitar part on the last song. The audience screamed their hearts out in support and Cosials jumped up on the thin barricade, grabbing onto the hands and heads of fans as she walked from side to side.
Hinds’ show at the Warsaw was their last US show after traveling to Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and a few cities in between. They’ll start their European tour on January 16, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain and will play in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France. The band will also play two shows in Japan at the end of April.
You don’t want to miss an opportunity to dance with Hinds, see them on tour while you can!
