Hinds’ first record, Leave Me Alone, was a beautiful, fuzzy record that recalled the warmer climates of the Spanish four-piece’s native Madrid. The record acted as a platform for the band to tour the world, sometimes with their heroes (The Strokes, The Libertines and Mac DeMarco), and play what seemed like every city on the globe. So much so that burn-out became a worry for the Spaniards. “We went crazy,” admits Carlotta Cosials of their frantic touring period before and after Leave Me Alone. “It all became too hard for a second,” she continues, which really became the inception for their latest record, I Don’t Run.

Touring life came to an end when they decided to book the start of 2017 off to fully focus on record number two but, in many ways, I Don’t Run feels like an offspring of their touring show; featuring answers to the messiness, isolation and friendship of touring life. The result is a fresher, more rejuvenated sounding Hinds, backed up by the same exciting, jangly garage rock bangers. There’s not much new here but, when it’s this fun, who the hell cares?

Potentially one of the most divisive bands of the modern indie era, they’re a group that know what they’re good at and stick to it. Indeed, much of I Don’t Run sounds like a band beginning to perfect that very sound but, most importantly, the band have kept up the fun factor on the record, with an added breakneck pace. At times, much like their live show, it feels like they’re making it up as they go on the spot, but it’s this off-the-cuff attitude that makes the record exciting; you never quite know whether or not it’s all going to fall to pieces. Opener ‘The Club’, is a song that the band explained, saying, “When we wrote ‘The Club’ and first listened to it we couldn’t believe that we hadn’t written it before”, continuing the garage-punk aesthetic from Leave Me Alone which rockets all the way through I Don’t Run.

It’s with ‘Finally Floating’, however, where the record really starts to hit its stride. Layered with indie-disco-worthy beats, it really showcases the exemplary chemistry between Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote on intertwining vocals. They sing: “I’m feeling great ‘till I’m laying in bed and all these random melodies sound again,” with as much velocity, tenacity and brashness that we’ve come to expect from the quadruplet, with an added surf-rock vibe made up by the discordant rhythm section. However, there are times of meditation and reflection too, which makes this record stand out compared to the more singular Leave Me Alone. ‘Soberland’ surmises the cognizance of yearning to drop bad habits (Hinds live shows are notorious for being particularly crazy), while the subtler ‘Linda’ is a tender introspection on the loneliness of touring life.

This is certainly not going to be for everyone. Detractors of the band – and there are a few – will see nothing to change that opinion, but if you’re a Hinds fan this is going to be a pure blast from start to finish. This is messy and imperfect but, ultimately, it’s a celebration of just that – and that’s what Hinds have always been about. “We loved making this album,” says Perrote. “We knew what we wanted and we have what we wanted. This is a new start for us and we’re fucking ready.” They’ve stuck to their guns and, in many ways, their confidence is their most charming aspect. There’s a wonderful DIY aesthetic to Hinds that makes it hard not to fall under their spell. Not quite a new direction, but if you want 11 spiky, in-your-face bangers, Hinds are the band for you.

Liam McMillen

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