The Prettiest Curse. Hinds

Bands that play alternative rock music in a ramshackle way come 13 a dozen it seems. Hinds found its way to these pages before with its first album, 'Leave Me Alone'. More because it was somewhat charming than really good. I faintly remember a second album that was too worse for wear. So my hopes were not up too high for number three.

Surprise, surprise. Hinds presents an album that shows that girls have become young women. The charming part of ramshackled music has been replaced by music that sounds more grown up, with songs that are simply better.

The basis is still a punky attitude and a fierce wish to make a song explode when and where possible. From there anything goes it seems on The Prettiest Curse. Hinds is not afraid of turning left where Blondie went more and more mainstream in the late 70s and beyond. Its songs are coloured in with a dirty film over the songs giving them credibility. The background shouting takes care of the rest.

Promo photo: Andrea Savall

The Spanish foursome, including Amber Grimbergen, the drummer of Dutch descent, obviously has gone through a growth spurt. That will have been a conscious choice. The playing is better, tighter and more mature. The ramshackle part is still there but mainly in the background vocals. The result is that The Prettiest Curse can easily compete with the best coming out of the U.S. these days. In fact I like it a lot better than a lot of records coming from girl bands in the past few years. It's a development that I did not see coming on the basis of album number 2. It does own up to the promise I heard on 'Leave Me Alone'.

Hinds with The Prettiest Curse provides nine alternatively rocking songs with (harmony) vocals that do a lot if not all right. The tenth song is ballad that shows a different side of the band, that works out well. Ten out of ten is an excellent result and that is as nice a conclusion as any.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy The Prettiest Curse here:

https://hinds.bandcamp.com/album/the-prettiest-curse


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g