Hinds - The Prettiest Curse
This third album release from the Madrid indie quartet sees the band evolving beyond their lo-fi garage roots, and exploring a slicker and more adventurous sound. Empowering, yet still essentially playful in its approach, The Prettiest Curse brews up a powerful new spirit, distilled and bottled in the capable hands of New Jersey producer Jenn Decilvo.
With nods to 80's pop, and with thumping drums and synth lines reminiscent of early OMD, opener 'Good Bad Times' mixes in Pet Shop Boys strut and delivers sass and attitude, as well as lyrics that are sung in Spanish for verse two (a neat trick which is repeated several times throughout the album – another sign of the band's growing confidence, as well as re-asserting their cultural identity).
Just Like Kids (Miau) quite rightly takes a swipe at the sexist attitudes that still persist in music – recalling taunts that the band are 'successful cause your legs are nice', or that they are 'too pink to be admired, and too punk to be desired'. The last laugh, though, is with Hinds. The song becomes a feisty slice of shouty pop perfection, with it's final lines also providing the album's title.
Elsewhere, the downside of life on the road, and of missing loved ones back home, serves as a recurring theme. In 'Burn', talk of 'juggling tequila shots, sadness and reggaeton nights' emerges as just one of several moments of contemplative reflection. Is this sign already of a wiser and more pragmatic Hinds?
Vocal treatment, with plenty of distortion and reverb, is an acquired departure from their earlier sound. Overall, though, The Prettiest Curse is an experiment that works, with results serving up fizzing pop classics as well as snarling arena anthems in the making.
8/10
