Hinds - I Don't Run (LP)

Hinds hit that sweet second-album gear with I Don’t Run, released April 6, 2018 on Mom + Pop in the US and Lucky Number in Europe. Two years after the scrappy charm of Leave Me Alone, the Madrid quartet sharpened the hooks without losing the loose grin that made their early singles so addictive. Carlotta Cosials and Ana García Perrote still trade lines like friends finishing each other’s sentences, but the writing digs deeper and the band plays tighter, with Ade Martín’s bass and Amber Grimbergen’s drums snapping everything into place.

You can hear the step up right away on New For You. It’s a classic Hinds trick: chiming guitars, a melody that feels tossed off until it’s stuck in your head for days, and voices that lean into accent and character rather than sanding things smooth. The song circles around second chances and small stumbles, never getting self-serious. Then Soberland kicks in with a brisker pulse and a sharper bite, the kind of track that turns a crowded club into a bouncing mass. The Club finds them poking at jealousy with a smile and a guitar line that curls around the vocal like a piece of string pulled tight.

They made a smart call bringing in Gordon Raphael, whose early work with The Strokes taught him how to capture compact, bright guitar music that still feels human. Shawn Everett’s mix gives the record clarity without stripping out the scuff marks, so the twin-guitar weave feels close to the chest. On Finally Floating you can pick out the way one guitar chugs while the other lifts, the voices slipping in and out of harmony like a mid-conversation laugh. Nothing here feels clinical. It sounds like four people who know each other’s moves and enjoy cutting across them.

Lyrically, it’s more candid than the debut. These songs come from the messy corners of friendships and romance, the weird hours on the road, the whiplash of flying home and realizing the laundry still needs doing. That’s part of the record’s charm. Hinds let a line wobble or crack if the feeling demands it. When Cosials leans into a chorus, you don’t hear polish first. You hear insistence. Perrote answers with a different shade, lighter or darker depending on what the song needs, and the pair make tension sound playful instead of heavy.

If you followed early Hinds gigs, you’ll recognize the energy here, just focused. The rhythm section is the unsung hero. Martín’s bass is melodic but tough, often acting like a third guitar until it drops into a thump that carries the room. Grimbergen pushes the tempos without rushing them. It’s the engine behind those choruses that seem to open wider each time around.

Critical reception lined up with what fans were already feeling. The album drew generally favorable reviews from places that had clocked their potential early and were happy to hear the growth. It’s one of those records that made skeptics recalibrate. Less “they’re fun live” and more “these songs stick.”

As for format, I Don’t Run vinyl just suits this music. The guitars have a nice bite, the cymbals sizzle without going fizzy, and the vocals sit right where they should, front and center but never smothering the band. If you’ve been eyeing Hinds vinyl for the shelf, start here, then backtrack to the debut to hear how far they came in two years. And if you like to flip through bins at a Melbourne record store or browse vinyl records Australia late at night, this is exactly the kind of upbeat, lived-in indie rock that turns a casual listen into a weekend staple. It pops in the shop and it pops at home.

I’ve spun a couple of pressings and never felt shortchanged. The songs breathe, the little harmonic details cut through, and the overall feel is that hopping-on-the-monitor joy that made their tours around this era such a rush. It’s easy to recommend to anyone who loves guitars that jangle and bite in equal measure. If you’re looking to buy Hinds records online, make sure this one lands in the cart. Among Hinds albums on vinyl, I Don’t Run captures the band in a sweet spot: bigger hooks, better balance, same beating heart.