Leave Me Alone is the refreshing debut album from Spanish garage pop band Hinds, and despite being early it the year, it is already shaping up to be one of 2016’s best releases.

For those unfamiliar with the band, Hinds is made up of Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote, who share lead vocal duties and play the guitar, Ade Martín on bass and Amber Grimbergen on drums.

The album cover shows the band in a candid shot, which looks like it was taken in the middle of the night at some music festival (it probably was). The shot is amateur-looking, there’s no professional styling and Ade is even holding a beer bottle in her hands. This sort of informal and no-rules approach to the cover carries over into the band’s signature “garage” music, and it’s what makes the album such a fun, charming and unpretentious listen.

The album opens with invigorating guitar riffs on the song, “Garden,” which also has a lovely surrealist music video. The lyrics are odd and the vocals are rough and not particularly beautiful, but the warmth and texture of Ana and Carlotta’s vocals mixing together is quite lovely. Track three, “Warts,” is a refreshing song perfect for the summertime that begs the question as to why this album was released in the dreary month of January. Early on, the band sets the relaxed and warm soundscape of the album for the listener to drown in.

Another strong cut from the album’s first half is the strange-yet-brilliant “Castigadas En El Granero” (Spanish for “Grounded in the Barn”), which features absolutely ludicrous lyrics like “and all I see is a big cow/and now I’m eating all your corn” while the guitars continue to build on each other, almost drowning each other out. The result is borderline irritating, yet incredibly fun. Like it or not, it is the most unforgettable track on the entire record.

While a lack of polish is what makes Hinds so charming and fun to listen to in the first place, it is also one of the band’s primary weaknesses.

On “Castigadas En El Granero,” Ana, in particular, sings in such a nasal tone that it is almost jarring. Thankfully, the charm of the track and the strength of the guitar parts helps one to forget the vocal shortcomings. On some tracks throughout the second half of the album, the lyrics and melodies are a bit disappointing, leaving nothing for the occasional weak vocals to hide behind.

This is an album that definitely sounds like a “debut” album. There are lots of areas in which the band can experiment more and add more finesse, but they are still clearly finding their sound. Thankfully, the sound they currently have is already very special and can only get better.

While the second half of the album is an overall disappointment with tracks that sound a bit hastily written, the album ends on a very strong note with the final song, “Walking Home.” The opening guitar riffs put a smile on one’s face immediately, and the band’s charm is irresistible when they sing lyrics such as “honey, you’re the lime to my Coke” in their trademark Spanish accents.

Overall, Leave Me Alone is a very beguiling record which makes one want to know more about these four girls from Madrid. One can hear in the music that Hinds genuinely enjoys the music they are playing, and their joy becomes infectious. To get preoccupied with the band’s shortcomings in lyrics and pitch is to miss the point entirely. Making mistakes is part of the spirit of the project, and it is what makes the album such a pleasure to listen to. Truly, it’s only up from here for this foursome.

Reviewer’s Picks: “Castigadas En El Granero,” “Warts,” “Garden,” “Fat Calmed Kiddos”

Rating: 4.25/5