WHAT IS THE HINDS BROTHERS SOUND IN YOUR OWN WORDS?
Aden: I think it is largely based on tradition. We draw from the singer/songwriter influence (Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, Harrison) as well as old and new harmony groups (The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel), with a strong leaning towards a rootsy, organic production (The Band, M Ward, AA Bondy). To draw another comparison to The Beatles – we are different songwriters coming together to enhance each others songs, so Hinds Brothers ends up more than the sum of it’s parts…
Wren: Of course we also have that brother harmony thing going on… We’re a creative foil to each other, and we’re also a great production team.
YOUR TOP THREE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME?
Aden: Jeez that is really very difficult to pin down! But here are a few of our favorites. All Things Must Pass & Living in the Material World by George Harrison, Revolver & Abbey Road by The Beatles, The Band by The Band, Blood on the Tracks – Bob Dylan, Songs of Leonard Cohen, Astral Weeks – Van Morrison
Wren: Songs of Love and Hate – Leonard Cohen, Wasteland Companion – M Ward, This is the Sea – The Waterboys, Aha Shake Heartbreak – Kings of Leon, The Wild the innocent and the E Street Shuffle – Bruce Springsteen, Desire – Bob Dylan
YOUR MAIN MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
Aden: We have both been influenced by our father Kevin Hinds, who was a professional musician through the 70′s & 80′s and was signed to CBS and EMI. The Beatles, George Harrison and Bob Dylan are touchstones for me personally, and one of SA’s greatest ever songwriters Syd Kitchen had a huge influence on my musical life…
Wren: As Aden mentioned Dad is a big influence. I love Otis Redding, Leonard Cohen’s lyrical genius, M Ward and also Bob Dylan.
BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THE PROCESS OF COMING UP WITH, AND ULTIMATELY RECORDING A TRACK:
Wren: The process of writing and recording for us is quite a natural flow and we really just act as channels for the songs we write and ultimately record. We have always recorded at home and tampered with sounds and layering of different textures. ‘Ocean of Milk’ in particular has seen many hours in different recording studios around the country and gave us the opportunity to connect with some great musicians along the way, so there’s been opportunity for a lot of creativity and bouncing ideas around… It seems to happen very naturally, so again there’s that flow that we go with.
Aden: Ya, we just try not to swim against the current… 
YOUR DEBUT ALBUM ‘OCEAN OF MILK’ COMES OUT ON AUGUST 27th AND FEATURES A GREAT SCREEN PRINT FOR A COVER. WHAT IS THIS ALBUM ALL ABOUT AND DID YOUR VISION MATCH THE OUTCOME?
Aden: The cover is an original pen & ink drawing by Dominic Strauss. It’s hard to pinpoint what it is about really – it’s a collection of songs that seem to live together rather well. Themes include being lost and being found, the wanderlust of man, the ocean, and the heart of reality… There is a natural flow through the record, and it has moments of light-heartedness and humor along with it’s deep waters. But it is ultimately a collection of songs, and each song has it’s space and place in the overall picture of ‘Ocean of Milk’.
Wren: I must say the outcome, even though it took a while to materialize, does match pretty closely the vision we had at the beginning of the project – though I have no idea how we got that right.
YOUR MUSIC FEATURES SOME WONDERFUL BACK-UP INSTRUMENTALS, HOW DID IT ALL MATERIALIZE?
Wren: Ocean of Milk has been in the making for 2 years, working on and off as our budget and goodwill of friends allowed us. We started out with the songs, and just thought about how we would ultimately like to hear them. We were mostly attracted to a rootsy, lush and acoustic vibe, and were hearing instruments like upright bass, dobro, pedal steel, violin, and accordion in our heads… We made notes, and found out the players along the way!
Aden: Very important was to find players who were into the music and could immerse themselves in the songs and their vibe. We ended up recording in 7 studios through Durban, Joburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, featuring 19 musicians on the record including ourselves – it really feels like one of those epic albums you hear about, you know, and you just have to hear for yourself…
HOW DID THE BAND COME TOGETHER, AND WHAT HAS THE JOURNEY BEEN LIKE TO GET HERE?
A & W: We have been performing around the country as an acoustic duo for around 4 years now, but have begun embellishing the live show in recent times by adding other artists and instruments along the way. We’re at a place now where we can perform as a 2 piece, 3 piece, 5 piece or even more, depending on the occasion. We’ve maintained a bit of the ‘jam band’ vibe, and have got potential band members all the way along the journey.
WHAT DOES THE NEXT YEAR LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
Aden: It’s hard to say as no-one is ultimately the master of their fate, but we will be touring ‘Ocean of Milk’ throughout South Africa starting with our Durban launch on Saturday 31st August at Howard College Theatre with an all-star band including Sez Adamson on pedal & lap steel guitars, Richard Haslop on dobro & mandolin, and the ‘ex Landscape Prayers’ trio of Ant Cawthorn-Blazeby (fiddle), Bruce Baker (drums) and Logan Byrne (upright bass). Tickets are available through quicket.com
Wren: We’ve created our own indie record label, South Sea Records, and we harbour hopes of breaking into the international market – Europe, USA, Australia, Canada & Japan… We’ve also got quite a backlog of songs, so we’re already planning the next album, and we should also have an EP ready for release in some months time. Basically I think it’s gonna be pretty busy…
Check the band out at hindsbros.com and on Twitter at @HindsBros