¡VIVA HINDS!
One fairly average Madrid afternoon in March 2014, pals Ana Garcia Perrote and Carlotta Cosials disappeared into their rehearsal studio and stepped out clutching two of the most perfectly ramshackle pop songs you will ever hear in ‘Bamboo’ and ‘Trippy Gum’. Uploading the demos to Bandcamp, under their then moniker Deers, they were instantly, but organically, picked up and posted by the UK based websites DIY and The Line of Best Fit which simultaneously alerted the attention of the independent label Lucky Number.
One month after recording the single, bass player Ade Martin and drummer Amber Grimbergen joined Ana and Carlotta for their first ever live show, to a sold out Madrileos crowd plus Lucky Number in attendance. The latter then officially released the two tracks as their debut single, DEMO, in July of 2014 and Deers were described “as Europe’s most exciting new band” by the British music weekly NME.
Their next single BARN, capitalizing on the growing trans-Europe excitement, was recorded in Berlin and comprised the first recordings that the group had laid down as a fully-fledged four-piece. ‘Castigadas En El Granro’ and ‘Between Cans’ retained the band’s loose and lo-fi charm whilst inspired by their undying love for contemporary American garage rock.
With two quickly sold out 7” releases and their joyously received live shows, a mixture of manic energy, infectious enthusiasm and addictive melodies, Deers were going from strength to strength and ended 2014 atop many ‘ones to watch’ lists. It was all the more frustrating therefore that they were then, in early January of 2015, forced to change their name for legal reasons.
Treating the incident with their now trademark charm, optimism and effervescent enthusiasm, they took to the web to explain: “We have to change our name…they force us to. We received an email from a Canadian lawyer saying that our name created confusion with his band’s name. We tried our best, really, but we have no choice. So…Okay!!! Let’s take this with a smile J!!!! Deers are now…Hinds!”
The band’s first move as Hinds, meaning female deer, was to release a cover of Thee Headcoatees cult classic ‘Davey Crockett (Gabba Hey)’ on a split single with their Madrid compatriots The Parrots. Released for Record Store Day 2015, it was recorded and produced with Árni Árnason of The Vaccines, a fruitful friendship that had already seen them open for the British Guitar-Rock stalwarts.
Hinds shot across the Atlantic for the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas and wowed American audiences for the first time with 16 whirlwind performances in just four days. Following this and a string of tour dates and festivals across the world, including a key slot on Glastonbury’s John Peel stage, and with just a handful of released singles under their belt, Hinds had already earned support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, NME, Guardian, Beats 1, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The FADER, Gorilla vs. Bear, and many more.
Hinds have, in less than 18 months, firmly established themselves as one of the most exciting new acts around. Showing no signs of slowing down they have now officially announced the release of their highly anticipated debut album entitled Leave Me Alone on January 8th, 2016. Twelve perfectly imperfect and charmingly lo-fi tracks, Leave Me Alone is an exciting introduction to the fun-loving quartet pioneering the burgeoning indie music scene in Madrid.
