Sometimes you get the impression that many musicians forget how much fun being in a band is supposed to be. There is music for every mood, but when a band comes along who genuinely seem delighted to be making music and having fun, it is hugely refreshing. Hinds have made big waves in the past couple of years and the lead tracks for the band’s album The Prettiest Curse have been raising expectations for even more joyous songs and boundless energy.
SNACK caught up with guitarist and vocalist Carlotta Cosials where we inevitably discussed quarantine but also chatted about dance moves, travel and their fabulous new sound.
Hi Carlotta, how are you?
I’m doing alright. It is a strange time for everybody. I hate quarantine, officially!
You’ve been active on social media during lockdown – does this help you stay upbeat?
Yes, definitely, 100%. It helps me to feel useful for somebody. I feel everyone is a bit lost, and you’ve been pulled away from the things you like. Giving people things to do, or watch or things to forget about feeling depressed, I think it’s pretty cool. We did a good job in that sense.
Your new video for ‘Just Like Kids (Mau)’ looked a lot of fun.
Gracias, thank you very much for saying that. I love that video.
Your band looks as though you are always having fun – what’s the best thing about being in Hinds?
It’s that we get to travel the whole world and travelling is one of the best things you can do in your life. You’re discovering how other people cook, eat and behave. I think that’s beautiful. It helps me comprehend human beings.
That must make quarantine even sadder?
Yes, that’s what I was telling you, I officially hate being quarantined. When we lived in normality, the days I spent at home the whole day, I couldn’t bear it, I couldn’t stand it. My house is not even that big. Yeah, loneliness is behind the corner, you know?
What are you looking forward to most after quarantine?
I can’t wait to play live. I can’t wait to play live the new songs. They’re going to be awesome and we have a new live set. Now we bring in a keyboard and Ana is learning and practicing so much. It’s going to be great; we have a new sound, Amber bought a new SPD (sampling pad) and we have so many improvements.
I have a new guitar too, a Gibson SG, which is beautiful. We’re so ready to be back on the road.
Hopefully we’ll see you back in the UK in September. [The September gig has now been cancelled]
Exactly, yes, September.
Your new album, The Prettiest Curse was recorded in Brooklyn – how was the recording process?
It was pretty chilled. All the albums before, we were pretty stressed in the studio. I don’t know why. Maybe because we were in a hurry or didn’t have enough days or whatever. With this album, we had the time to make good decisions and to sit down and think a little bit about it.
So, when we went to the studio, it wasn’t everything in a rush because we already did pre-production in Madrid with producer Jennifer (Decilveo). And then we knew the songs perfectly, it was the perfect environment for good activity.
We investigated and discovered so many new sounds and new instruments in the studio. We knew the structure and shape of the songs so good, we allowed ourselves to play around it, you know?
Do you feel more confident about production and making your songs sound bigger?
Yes. To me, it changed my vision in music because for the first two albums we were trying to reproduce a live show in the songs and the production, more or less. We were only playing two guitars, bass and drums, that was it.
And with this album, we decided not to put ourselves in that cage. Music is endless and freedom so why put yourself in that cage and only play guitar? Let’s play keyboard, let’s play synth, let’s play this little cymbal, let’s play everything we can touch because that’s an album; and an album is an album, a recording.
And live shows are live shows, you cannot do magic with live shows. It doesn’t matter, live shows have another energy, so suddenly, allowing ourselves that freedom made the album so much better, and so much alive.
Will you also have new dance moves in the live show?
Haha, Please, yes, 100%, don’t even doubt it! We’re going to be so much better, yes.
I’ll look forward to it. Do you have any last messages for your fans in the UK?
I want to say to our fans in the UK that we love you so much, we feel your support, and we really feel thankful for having you. And listen to the album, and buy!
Hinds new album The Prettiest Curse is released on 5th June on Lucky Number. Hinds are scheduled to play at the Classic Grand in Glasgow on Sunday 20th September 2020, and our fingers are crossed for that show.
[Hinds’ Classic Grand gig in September has been cancelled since this interview’s 1st publication in the May/June issue of SNACK]
