Viva Hinds＜限定盤/Magenta-In-Transparent Clear Vinyl＞

世界中で愛されるスペインのインディー・ロック・バンド"HINDS"が、4thアルバム『VIVA HINDS』を遂にリリース!バンドが法的理由から"HINDS"へと名前を変更する必要があった中、ファン達からの「VIVA HINDS!」という声援によって支えられたというエピソードから名付けられた本作には、BECKに加えFONTAINES D.C.のVoであるGRIAN CHATTENが参加しており、全インディーロックファン待望の奇跡のコラボレーションが実現しております。

"HINDS"がこれまでにリリースして来たアルバムの中でも極めて高い完成度を誇る本作は、奇想天外なサウンドがLRから流れ込んでくる祝福に満ちたハッピーな1枚!紆余曲折を乗り越え再出発を果たした"HINDS"の新たな旅路のスタートに参加してみるのはいかがでしょうか?

Change is afoot on Hinds fourth album, VIVA HINDS. Not only did the group shrink down to the founding duo of Carlotta Cosials and Ana Garcia Perrote but they also cast off the fancy finery of their third record, the modern pop-inspired The Prettiest Curse, in favor of something more stripped down and loose. Not that they went back to their garage rock days of yore; they remain firmly in the pop landscape of the mid-2020s. The appearance of Fontaines D.C.s vocalist Grian Chatten proves that, and so does the Beck cameo on the albums poppiest track, "Boom Boom Back." Aside from that one moment of frivolity -- and the bouncy, CHAI-inspired "Mala Vista" -- much of the album has a slightly darker, almost insistent appeal that feels built on equal amounts of fierce determination and breezy self-deprecation. The dual vocals have some bite as Cosials and Perrote shout, plead, sneer, and cajole in giddy unison. Their unvarnished humanity makes the record come alive whether the songs are chiming, melancholy, and bathed in reverb ("The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You"), bouncy and deceptively bright ("On My Own"), rollicking ("En Forma"), or bruised ("Superstar"). This is the most sonically varied album Hinds have made, and its nice to hear them painting outside the lines and trying out new things, especially when they drift away from the frolicsome approach they threatened to get stuck in. Tracks like "Superstar" and "The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You" have the kind of weight that many of their songs have lacked in the past, and its good to hear. That they can balance these deeper songs neatly with well-played and arranged lighter fare like "Coffee" -- which has some stellar noise guitar gymnastics -- and "Bon Voyage" makes for a well-rounded album thats a joy to revisit. Hinds pull off their reboot with daring and style, in the process making a record easily good enough to stand proudly alongside their best work. ~ Tim Sendra

ベーシストとドラマーの脱退を経たマドリッド出身の人気バンドが、2人組として初のアルバムを完成(通算4作目)。ビーバドゥービーの初作を手掛けたことで知られるピート・ロバートソン(元ヴァクシーンズ)がプロデュースを担当し、ベックとグリアン・チャッテン(フォンテインズDC)もゲストとして参加。ガレージ・サウンド一辺倒から脱却して幅広いギター・ロックを聴かせた前作『The Prettiest Curse』の路線を踏襲しつつ、メロディーとアレンジはより変化に富んだものとなり、スマートでスタイリッシュな仕上がりに良い意味で驚かされる。キャリア史上もっともポップで完成度の高い作品と言っていい。
bounce (C)赤瀧洋二