(A personal favorite of mine!)
This album opens up with "The Club", and I actually really love this track opening this album up. I feel like in a lot of ways, this track actually does encapsulate the Hinds sound nicely. This track is absolutely adorable and sweet, and like a lot of the rest of the music of Hinds, incredibly youthful. Now, let's talk about this production. I'm just so happy they've polished up their sound as much as they have. That was literally the only glaring issue I've had with them up until this point. But "The Club" just sounds so much fuller. Here, Hinds doesn't sound like a bar band, they sound like bonafide Rockstars. Plus, I really love that very Surf Rock influenced guitar solo. Great start, great track. Now, a lot of the songs of Hinds are refreshingly straightforward. "Soberland" up next sounds like a track they would have recorded early in their career, but a little more gussied up and I actually really love it. Some of the vocal harmonies are actually some of the best I've heard from Hinds in general, and it's all wrapped up with a very charming chorus. It's still very cute and sweet, but already this is so much more mature than some of the early work from Hinds. But more than anything, "Soberland" shows Hinds still remaining so youthful and fun. I love the thumping bass, and just how patient this tune is, especially compared to their usually much wilder Garage Pop. This album remains very pleasant with "Linda", and I love just how light and breezy this one is. Plus, I freakin' LOVE just how steamy and passionate vocalist Ana Perrote sounds here. Hinds just sounds so much more like an accomplished band on here. Plus, if you know anything about these ladies, you know they're hugely influenced by The Strokes, and that shows on "Linda" in a big way. To be honest, I'm surprised that this album has remained on the rails for as long as it has, the ladies usually have so much more energy. But this one is just another seriously catchy, vintage-tinged pop tune. On the other hand, "New For You" is the direction that I was expecting to hear Hinds go in. The very sunny, cheerful, and upbeat direction that this one is taking is just so likable. This one is a little less polished and sounds a whole lot more at the moment, and that's totally fine with me. "New For You" is charming nonetheless. Now, a lot of Hinds songs have lyrics that sort of mirror one another, practically referencing one another. So if that's the kind of thing that bugs you, this album may seriously bug you. But for an incredibly charming and catchy Garage Rock tune, Hinds is really getting their sound down to a science.
"Echoing My Name" is up next, and this is the first track that I'm not 1000% behind. I do certainly like the very colorful instrumentals. But first off, this track comes off like a cover of like 6 different artists, ranging from The Strokes to Vampire Weekend. Now, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing in general, and there are some nice harmonies. But I just feel like this track, in general, is so much of a backtrack for the ladies. They've spent this entire album crafting their sound and really making it come off snappy. But this just makes them come off like a bar cover band. Which sure, is fine when it's on, but it's not memorable in the long run. "Tester" on the other hand had me worried from the opening ambient sounds. But this track quickly picks up into one of the most upbeat and fun tunes here. Once again, we're dealing with a lot of the same lyrical themes, but I'll be damned if Hinds don't make it work and end up sounding like a Vintage Pop act who have been transported to our time. It's incredibly catchy, but I seriously love the much more heavy tone to this track, and just how Rock N Roll this comes off. Now, I have to hand it to these ladies, because so many of these tracks are seriously memorable. I love the sort of groove they bring us on "Finally Floating", and just how breezy this track is. Now, I have to be honest, of the singles, they released this is my least favorite. But this is still a commendable tune, and I love some of the subtle nods to classic Garage Rock. Not to mention, I'll be damned if I've yet to hear a chorus on here that makes me want to sing more than this. And that last guitar solo ladies is seriously classy. Now, "I Feel Cold But I Feel More" on the other hand, is something brand new for the ladies, with a very slow paced riff and a hazy atmosphere. This actually ends up sounding like something that would have gotten over in the 90's. I have to be honest though, I commend the ladies for going for something new and a little out of the box. Not to mention, I do like a lot of the bluesy vocals. But overall, I'm not crazy about this, and it's not nearly as fun and young feeling as the majority of Hinds music.
Up next is "To The Morning Light", and I have to hand it to these ladies, they certainly do know how to write a catchy guitar lick. Once again, this track has a very sunny and innocent feel. But what happened to some of the energy of the early tracks here? Like, instrumentally this track is a really solid venture for Hinds. But outside of the chorus, this track is just sort of boring. However, thankfully the ladies do enough good here to make "To The Morning Light" listenable. But I do think their strength is in more upbeat and fun tunes, like "Rookie". All around, this track is so much more like it. This one is upbeat, but it also has a seriously strong groovy riff the likes of which I haven't heard from these guys. Like, it's actually a little hard to place. The result is easily one of the snappiest and most wild sounding tracks here. This may be a little much for these guys to handle right now I feel like, as it is completely different for them. But hell, I'm having fun with it! This album ends off with "Ma Nuit", and this is far from the ending that I was expecting to hear from Hinds. This is a very true to form folk ballad that comes off surprisingly raw sounding. It actually ends up coming off incredibly powerful. I just really REALLY wish this track didn't sound like was recorded in a closet. Because let's be real, these are some of the most passionate and intense vocals Hinds have ever come out with. It makes for a really interesting ending to this album and makes me incredibly excited to hear them branch out more like this in the future.
"Echoing My Name" is up next, and this is the first track that I'm not 1000% behind. I do certainly like the very colorful instrumentals. But first off, this track comes off like a cover of like 6 different artists, ranging from The Strokes to Vampire Weekend. Now, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing in general, and there are some nice harmonies. But I just feel like this track, in general, is so much of a backtrack for the ladies. They've spent this entire album crafting their sound and really making it come off snappy. But this just makes them come off like a bar cover band. Which sure, is fine when it's on, but it's not memorable in the long run. "Tester" on the other hand had me worried from the opening ambient sounds. But this track quickly picks up into one of the most upbeat and fun tunes here. Once again, we're dealing with a lot of the same lyrical themes, but I'll be damned if Hinds don't make it work and end up sounding like a Vintage Pop act who have been transported to our time. It's incredibly catchy, but I seriously love the much more heavy tone to this track, and just how Rock N Roll this comes off. Now, I have to hand it to these ladies, because so many of these tracks are seriously memorable. I love the sort of groove they bring us on "Finally Floating", and just how breezy this track is. Now, I have to be honest, of the singles, they released this is my least favorite. But this is still a commendable tune, and I love some of the subtle nods to classic Garage Rock. Not to mention, I'll be damned if I've yet to hear a chorus on here that makes me want to sing more than this. And that last guitar solo ladies is seriously classy. Now, "I Feel Cold But I Feel More" on the other hand, is something brand new for the ladies, with a very slow paced riff and a hazy atmosphere. This actually ends up sounding like something that would have gotten over in the 90's. I have to be honest though, I commend the ladies for going for something new and a little out of the box. Not to mention, I do like a lot of the bluesy vocals. But overall, I'm not crazy about this, and it's not nearly as fun and young feeling as the majority of Hinds music.
Up next is "To The Morning Light", and I have to hand it to these ladies, they certainly do know how to write a catchy guitar lick. Once again, this track has a very sunny and innocent feel. But what happened to some of the energy of the early tracks here? Like, instrumentally this track is a really solid venture for Hinds. But outside of the chorus, this track is just sort of boring. However, thankfully the ladies do enough good here to make "To The Morning Light" listenable. But I do think their strength is in more upbeat and fun tunes, like "Rookie". All around, this track is so much more like it. This one is upbeat, but it also has a seriously strong groovy riff the likes of which I haven't heard from these guys. Like, it's actually a little hard to place. The result is easily one of the snappiest and most wild sounding tracks here. This may be a little much for these guys to handle right now I feel like, as it is completely different for them. But hell, I'm having fun with it! This album ends off with "Ma Nuit", and this is far from the ending that I was expecting to hear from Hinds. This is a very true to form folk ballad that comes off surprisingly raw sounding. It actually ends up coming off incredibly powerful. I just really REALLY wish this track didn't sound like was recorded in a closet. Because let's be real, these are some of the most passionate and intense vocals Hinds have ever come out with. It makes for a really interesting ending to this album and makes me incredibly excited to hear them branch out more like this in the future.
Rating: 7.9/10
Give A Listen To: “The Club”, “Soberland”, “New For You”, “Tester”
Genre: Garage Pop / Indie Rock / Surf Rock / Garage Rock
Overall Thoughts: Hinds here really clean up their act from their debut. While in the past Hinds have written very catchy, sweet and memorable Garage Pop tunes, to me the production was always a little questionable. But the ladies in Hinds have really REALLY cleaned up their act, bringing in some neater production and more of the cheery tunes that got them noticed in the first place. I still would love to see them branch out more because their lyrical topics do run a little short sometimes. But, I think these ladies bring in some seriously classy, vintage-tinged Garage Pop that’s just a blast to listen to.
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