There are few more anticipated British albums in 2015 than this debut full-length from Hindsights. The Maidenhead 4 piece have upped their game constantly with each release and this is by far their best work yet. Each song flows into the next with a new, refreshing sound reminiscent of fellow Brits Basement. High praise indeed.
The album kicks off with ‘Everything Inside Me Echoed’ and it quickly becomes obvious this is more than your average Punk or Emo album. The lush clean guitars and understated vocals harmonies show a maturity about the band. The structure and interesting dynamics of this opening track really sets the bar high for the rest of the album. It is obvious that each song has really been thought out, not a note is wasted. When ‘Everything Inside Me Echoed’ does kick in, you could easily be listening to ‘Devil and God…’ era Brand New, it’s that good.
’Cold Walls’ was a good first single choice, it represents all of the main parts of the Hindsights sound and is one of the most accessible straight up rock tracks on the album. Another noticeable difference between Hindsights and many of the current crop of UK bands is the vocal delivery. Throughout the album Benio Baumgart’s vocals range from the sombre and understated tones on songs like ‘Waiting Room’ to the grungey Jon Simmons-esque yells on title track ‘Cold Walls’. This variation makes for an engaging and entertaining album, that doesn’t seem to get stale at any point.
The band define their sound as Sad-rock and they couldn’t be more correct. From the instrumentation to the lyrical content, this album is chilling but also uplifting at the same time. The mix of extremely melodic parts soaked in reverb and distorted guitar riffs, coupled with relatable lyrical content and unique vocal delivery make this a rousing listen from start to finish. This sounds like a band at the top of their game, taking all of the elements of their previous EP ‘The Thoughts That Weigh Me Down’ and really taking it to another level.
’Cold Walls/Cloudy Eyes’ really cements Hindsights’ position as one of the most exciting British bands in the scene. This is one of the strongest debut full-lengths in recent memory. The British music scene is stronger than ever and will continue to grow with fantastic bands like Hindsights leading the charge.
5/5
’Cold Walls/Cloudy Eyes‘ by Hindsights is released on 23rd February on Beach Community.
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Words by Andy McGonigle (@andyjmcg87)
