Pins - Hot Slick

The Guardian 40

(Haus of Pins)
Full of girl-group vocals and earwormy melodies, Pins tread a fine line between energetic reboot and mannered synth-pop tribute

Manchester trio Pins spent the first half of the 2010s as a four-piece who made drone-heavy indie-pop. Their second album, Wild Nights, was cooked up in Joshua Tree National Park, and stretched their hazy melodies out over landscapes of reverb. That was back in 2015; in the time since, they’ve changed their lineup, collaborated with Iggy Pop, taken on the production skills of the Kills’ Jamie Hince, and leaned heavily into disco and post-punk influences. The result is Hot Slick, a self-released album of 10 airy songs that hinge on earworm 1960s girl-group melodies and a new surge of bright-eyed synths.