Featured on pretty much every one-to-watch list going, 2015 looks set to be a massive year for Hinds (fka. Deers) – a four-piece Garage Rock outfit from Madrid.
And whilst hype can often be a dangerous thing; Carlotta, Ana, Ade, and Amber are as down-to-earth and lovely as they come. And their music ain’t half bad either. Arnie from The Vaccines and – as they recently learnt – Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream fame are just two of a rapidly growing army of loyal fans – unofficially known as ‘The Hindcredibles.’
We were lucky enough to spend 20 minutes with the fantastic four-piece before a London show to talk music, touring, boys, and of course – España.
So you played with the Vaccines recently – how did it go?
Carlotta: It was amazing but the queue was so big – it was crazy.
Anna: The gig was really good though.
C: We decided to just drink and we ended up giving a super drunk show
Ade: It went all right actually – I think it’s one of the best gigs we’ve ever done
C: Yeah – well we had a lot of fun! And no mistakes. Well… not that much for how drunk as we were.
What’s the rest of 2015 hold for you guys?
An: Next month we’re going to Bangkok and Australia.
C: We have like 4 or 5 dates there but we first go to Bangkok and the whole trip is like 10 days.
An: We’re also going to America in March for another tour. We’re doing both coasts and SXSW in Austin
C: And Burgerama!
An: We’re also just starting to accept the offers from other Music Festivals but we can’t say which ones just now.
And can we expect any releases?
An: We have one split with The Parrots (another Madrid band).
C: My mum thought the split means playing together but no – they’re 2 two separate singles. That’s in March and our track will be produced by Arnie from The Vaccines.
An: And then hopefully an LP at some point.
Going back to over a year ago now – how did it all start?
C: Well it actually has three starts. The first one was with Ana and I saying ‘Ok – let’s start a band!’ And we started like that. Then we started to write songs – that was last year – and then we recorded these. We realised pretty quickly though that we needed a bass player and a drummer so we told Ade – who was our friend from before – and we gave her a bass for her birthday as a present.
Ade starts to cry (whether or not this was induced by an irritating contact lens or emotional nostalgia is still up for debate)
C: Me and Ana were friends before through our ex-boyfriends and then we met Amber on the internet via Facebook. Kind of like Catfish
Amber: Ana added me as a friend and was like “Hey – are you from Madrid?” “Hey – do you play the drums?”
An: I think she thought I was a lesbian at first.
Are you guys going to stay as a four-piece then?
An: Yes.
C: Forever four.
Am: We might get in an orchestra for live shows one day – violin, saxophone…. (laughter ensues)
An: I don’t think we need it now but we are going to realize it if we start playing huge festivals. That’s when you know if need synth sounds.
C: That’s why a lot of bands have synths – just for big festivals. Everything sounds better with a synth.
Could you ever have a boy in Hinds?
An: Boys suck.
C: I don’t think so. Right?!
An: No, no, no. No boys
Ad: Only boys if they are dancers.
There’s a bit of an underground scene in Madrid – of which Hinds are part – and only recently has the world has become aware of it – how come this is all happening now?
An: I think it’s a chain – we’re slowly starting to put Spain on the map. The world is starting to learn where it is in a musical sense.
Ad: And to think we’re playing a role in this; it’s the nicest thing. It makes us feel very proud. You know – people used to think in Spain we only play Spanish guitars. So suddenly four girls playing Garage and everyone is like “Hey – where are the Palmas (Flamenco Hand Clap)?!”
Do you think the City in itself plays a role in the music that’s coming from it?
An: Yes – for sure. I mean one is the people. The whole scene that we are part of – we all show each other the music we’re listening to and the music we’re writing. And that comes through – Fat White was clearly found by The Parrots – you know; each new band we listen to has the one who found it and then you go and share it with your friends.
Ad: And also the way we live in Madrid plays a part. We live so cheap, we go to cheap places, we don’t pay to go into big nightclubs or anything like that. We go to small bars and drink there for cheap.
An: The weather too. You can be on the street all the year. Even on the 1st January – you can be on the streets. I mean, I spent New Year’s Eve with a can of beer and a glowstick on the street.
Finally – having been around for almost a year now. What have been some of the highlights of the Hinds journey thus far?
C: I really loved the moment we met Cole from Black Lips – I mean, we were so, so, so nervous because we are such big fans. And I’m going to claim the snow one too! We were in Groningen and it started to snow while we were in a hot tub. That’s rock’n’roll man -That’s money!
An: I think the first time we played in Copenhagen – they put our name on a theatre board outside the venue and it was so, so, big and we stood outside for like half-an-hour just staring at it. It was so, so beautiful. And then…
Am: Meeting Mac DeMarco?
An: No. I think I’ll say the Lexington London show we played last year. I don’t know why but it was so emotional. I thought I was going to cry backstage. The gig yesterday (at the Boston Arms) was so punk rock’n’roll and amazing also but that one at the Lexington was so emotional.
C: For the first time – we heard people singing our songs…
An: And louder than us! That was so crazy.
Words: Max Sanderson