Rock icons Hinder are back and better than ever with the release of their 7th full-length album, Back To Life. The band consists of Marshal Dutton (lead vocalist), Cody Hanson (drums), Joe “Blower” Garvey (lead guitar), and Mike Rodden (bass) and has been a powerful voice in the rock scene since their formation in 2001. With a massive career that spans two decades, the Oklahoma City-based rock stars have reignited their passion for their artistry through this new album.
Back To Life serves as evidence of Hinder’s revival and growth as artists in an ever-evolving musical atmosphere. The album incorporates their classic rock sound seen throughout their monumental discography with a fun, refreshing twist. Blending moving acoustic-style ballads like “Trying to Get Home” with dynamic, hard-hitting anthems like “Don’t Believe It,” Back To Life sees Hinder test the limits with an unmatched versatility like never before. It showcases their commitment to upholding their identity as a band while still taking risks to keep things interesting in the modern rock scene.
Previously released singles, including “Bad Decisions” and “Bring Me Back To Life,” gave fans a glimpse into this brand new era for Hinder and set the stage for what to expect from the full record. At its core, Back To Life is an inspiring and uplifting rock album that explores themes of self-awareness and renewal through introspective and thoughtful lyrics.
In an interview with Melodic Magazine, Dutton reflects on the renewal, inspiration, and creative process behind Back To Life, the impact of their live shows, and their time spent together as a band.
Your 7th studio album Back To Life is Hinder’s first full-length release in 8 years. How do you think this record showcases your growth as a band in comparison to previous releases?
I think one of the main driving factors behind the joy that comes from being a musician is growth. When you stop growing, you tend to lose interest in the whole experience of being a musician. Musical inspiration isn’t always a constant. It ebbs and flows. And sometimes that takes 8 years, haha. We actually wrote and recorded a whole album somewhere between 2018 and 2020 and ended up shelving it because it felt uninspired. So we took a break. Something amazing happens when you come back after letting your creative muscles rest for a good bit. Everything becomes exciting and fresh again and you suddenly have new skills you didn’t even intend to gain. The songs are more inspired lyrically, the sounds we achieved on the record are better, the productions are more mature and the differences in the styles of the song writing and production are more vast and individualistic.
“Bad Decisions,” the fourth single from Back To Life, was released last month, and Cody Hanson has said it captures the energy of being in Sin City. Why did you choose this song as a single and how much do you think this energy trickled into the rest of the album?
“Bad Decisions” is a fun, quirky song! That’s precisely why we chose it. It’s heavy and catchy, but it’s also lighthearted and very tongue-in-cheek. Not every song has to be serious and emotional, and in comparison to a lot of the other songs on the record, “Bad Decisions” is (or should be) obviously facetious. Sometimes it’s fun to be self-deprecating in a playful way. This song showcases Hinder’s lighthearted humor. The production is quirky too, and I think that kind of creativity and energy in the studio inspires other ideas and bleeds into the other songs naturally.
You’ve stated that the creative process of “Bring Me Back To Life” in a way brought life back into the band. Why was the creation of this song such a pivotal moment for you all and how do you think that influenced the rest of Back To Life?
“Bring Me Back To Life” was one of the first songs we wrote for this record. The song itself is about overcoming a lack of inspiration, which is what we had been dealing with for a while. I thought it was neat that we took the reality of being uninspired and used it as a vehicle to write what I believe to be, one of the best songs on the record! It’s ironic that a song about being uninspired injected so much fresh inspiration and made writing the rest of the record so much more fun, easy and exciting!
Are there any important themes that you hope for listeners to grasp when they hear these new songs for the first time?
There are a lot of themes on this record lyrically that deal with going through difficult times in life that are very personal to me. My hope is that people can relate to them and know that if they are going through similar tough times in their own lives, that they are not alone. Use them as a warm blanket to get through the dark times and meet the light on the other side with more strength and self-awareness!
Which songs off the record are you most excited for people to hear? Are there any you think or hope will be instant fan favorites?
I’m really excited for people to hear “Time to Breathe” and “Reminiscing You.” They are two of my favorite songs and both are very personal to me lyrically. Plus, I think the productions turned out really great and I’m excited to see if anyone else agrees!
If you could pick one lyric from any song on the record, what would that be and why?
One of my favorite lyrics is the opening line to the song “Vultures.” “Life is a river I cannot fight. It flows down the middle with razor sides.” The song is about the ever-increasing loss of innocence throughout life as it progresses. Life can be full of joy and that is hopefully the goal, but it is also wrought with dangers along the way that cause trauma, injury and sadness. The river of life flows faster and faster whether you want it to or not. You’re going to get banged up because you can’t avoid those jagged edges every time. Try to stay in the middle and keep your head above water!
You’re gearing up for a year full of touring, ranging from headlining dates throughout the summer to massive festivals like Aftershock and Louder Than Life in the fall. What do you want people to remember and be impacted by when seeing a show of yours?
My main hope is that people who come out have a blast and leave the show thinking, “Wow, that was a lot of fun energy!” I love to connect with people and look them in the eye! And I hope they think we sound good too, obviously! We’ll do another fingers crossed on that one, haha!
When you look back on these nearly 25 years as a band, what’s your favorite memory from any point in your career?
There have been so many awesome adventures with Hinder, starting before I was even in the band or working as a producer with them. They’re a fun and loving group of people that make even the worst and most difficult times somehow blossom into wonderful memories…so that makes it impossibly difficult to pick just one, if ya know what i mean!? I’ll say this though…All the time I’ve spent working in the studio with Cody and the band over the years, growing and learning, trying to reach new heights, stretching our toes and striving for success and camaraderie have been the joy of my life and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
Now, that being said, I must bring up the first time I ever fronted for Hinder as a front man with only two days notice…We opened up for Lynyrd Skynyrd! As terrified as I was, it went off rather well, somehow! I still think about that moment often and what it led to for me in my life…And it’s a really solid reminder that sometimes you have to trust your friends and take a leap, even when you’re scared! And also, find your people…they can help you reach heights you never dreamed possible.
As you reflect on your time in Hinder, is there anything that you hope to accomplish when thinking about the future of the band?
There really is no reflecting for me on my time with Hinder, at this point. It’s been a conglomerate of wonderful people, wonderful times, musical inspiration and a direct incentive to keep this train a’ rollin! It’s a constant in my life, and one that I love, depend upon and cherish. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, and Hinder has a lot of years of creation ahead and fun to be had, before I could ever postulate on or reflect about the past times and where we all came from, where we got our legs, and where we mean to go. I don’t think about that…But I know in my heart that this new record has been a jumping point for us, and inspiration breeds inspiration! So we’re gonna keep jumping, baby! Jump with us!
Listen to Back To Life here and find tickets to Hinder’s upcoming shows here.
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