Madrid's Hinds Return With the Addictively Energizing “Coffee”

Revisiting their origins as a duo, Spanish indie rock band Hinds return with their new single “Coffee,” a lighthearted reminder that life shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

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Stream: “Coffee” – Hinds

What are the simple things in life that give you a sense of mischievous pleasure? Things that you know that you probably shouldn’t like, because they’re unhealthy or negatively regarded, but feel so darn good? Songs don’t always need to be complex or filled with emotion. Although music is a way to make sense of what goes through our head, to get rid of any overwhelming despair, and recount a memory or opinion that we may have difficulty to express otherwise, it can also just be a burst of joy and nothing much more.

Hinds are back with a new single that has as much punch as a heavily caffeinated infused drink first thing in the morning. Titled “Coffee,” it’s an outspoken celebration of the things that shouldn’t be enjoyed but also shouldn’t be hidden if it makes us who we are.

I like black coffee and cigarettes
And flowers from boys
that I’m not sleeping with
I like trees when they let go off their leaves
They’re so wise, they get rid of their shit

Yeah, I like black coffee and cigarettes
And crying to hard rock on my holidays
Dreams are loud in every street
There’s nothing as sweet as living in Madrid

The song marks a new chapter for Hinds, which sees Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote return as a duo. Back before 2014, when the group emerged prominently in the scene as a four-piece, the project (then named Deers) was born from Carlotta and Ana together. “Coffee” is therefore is like revisiting the rawness of their roots but with a polished quality that comes with experience and connections. For example, it’s produced by Pete Robertson, original member of The Vaccines, and mixed by Caesar Edmunds who’s worked with the likes of The Killers and Beach House.

“’Coffee’ is a sincericide, screaming the nasty truth as loud as you can with no shame. It’s about admitting to all the things you’re not supposed to like or doing all the things you’re not meant to do,” state the duo in the press release. “It’s a lot of fun when you can be fully honest and shut that little voice in your head that tells you what you should or shouldn’t do.”

POSITIVITY, EVOLUTION, AND BEING YOURSELF WITH HINDS

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The energy is there from the offset, the vocals alternating before being messily shared in the way that the duo do best. The chorus takes on a sudden dreamy tone, the words ‘don’t look at me with those eyes/ just don’t look at me with those eyes/ please don’t look at me with those eyes’ drifting in a playfully pleading manner, as though Carlotta and Ana are joining forces and confronting those who dare to judge them. “Coffee” refers to a relationship but it’s also about overthrowing negative judgements in general, whether by others or the voice in your head. For example, when they shout together:

And it’s all in my head, everyone in my bed
Baby, stop calling, stop calling
I said, maybe, maybe it’s all in my head
Told you, to stop calling

Hinds' Carlotta Cossials & Ana Perrote © Dario Vazquez — Hinds’ Carlotta Cosials & Ana Perrote © Dario Vazquez

The accompanying video, self directed by the duo in Madrid, is equally as fun. A motorized adventure that ends with a party, the beginning sees the duo dancing and chilling as aestheticized mechanics (no repairing of motorbikes taking place here) with friends. After being told to cut it out, they take their activities to the street where they roll and joke around in typical Hinds style.

Hinds’ music has always been about projecting optimism. Even the songs that stem from anger or deeper subjects encourage us to smile and jump around. “Coffee” is a continuous of this, being a lighthearted reminder that life shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

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