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Apr 02, 2018 Issue #63 - Courtney Barnett By Stephen Mayne

To paraphrase a former British Prime Minister, Hinds were the future once. The infectiously enjoyable garage rockers from Madrid came with a compelling story and blisteringly delightful debut record, 2016’s Leave Me Alone. Tired of sitting on the sidelines while less talented boyfriends took to the stage, Carlotta Cosials and Ana García Perrote began as a duo in 2011 before changing the band name from Deers to Hinds, adding Ade Martín and Amber Grimbergen to the line-up in the process.

Here we are two years on from their breakout, with Hinds primed to step up a level and deliver on that shimmering promise pulsing from Leave Me Alone. Except it doesn’t really come. I Don’t Run isn’t a bad record, or a regression, nor is it the continued ascent the band had hinted at. Instead, it’s a meandering detour through chill, lo-fi, and sometimes flat songs.

The energy laced into every beat last we saw them has gone, replaced by competent playing and uninspired shared vocals that feel like a more hinged version of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Alec Ounsworth.

This is apparent from the start. “The Club” is a decent song that feels a step or two behind the pace. The same applies further down the roster. “Soberland” is catchy and too slow, “Echoing My Name” starts with a funky bassline and feels too insubstantial, and “Tester” is fun and too much like the backing to a summer commercial.

Bright sparks exist, proving the promise is still there. The best is stored for the final stretch, getting back to the mix of anthemic and chaotic that naturally suits them on “To the Morning Light” and “Rookie,” while “Finally Floating” is really rather wonderful. So they still have it; just not enough of it right now. (www.hindsband.com)

Author rating: 5.5/10