HIDE AND SHINE Releases Third Album 9 SECONDS BEFORE REVOLUTION
Bassist David Andersen mixed the record, which the band calls its most solid work to date.
Hide and Shine, the Kingston, NY indie rock band whose music blends post-punk urgency, grunge, classic rock, metal, country, and darker psychedelic textures, have just released their third album, 9 Seconds Before Revolution, on August 26.
Listeners can hear the album at https://open.spotify.com/album/02dWyA14lT1YwfdtA29Ljt
The band's sound can feel strangely unfamiliar and instantly nostalgic at the same time. Originally described by the band as 'An Art Death Indie Post-Punk Rock Alternative,' Hide and Shine draws from the raw, literary edge of The Replacements, the explosive force of Dinosaur Jr., and the darker introspection of Radiohead, while moving freely across genres and moods.
Beneath the band's punk and rock foundations is a distinctly spiritual and surreal lyrical world. Hide and Shine's songs explore subjects including interdimensional consciousness, alchemy, virtual reality, UFOs and the strange experience of being human.
The band's unconventional creative process began in 2020, when NYC indie rocker Chris Kelly of Ferdinand the Bull NYC experienced what he describes as a 'psychic download' of roughly 50 songs. Kelly recorded rough sketches of the material and brought them to drummer and producer Michael Chambers, known for his work on the Kids soundtrack. The recordings eventually led to the band's debut double album, Soft Machines, with the late, legendary Steve Albini helping shape the material.
Hide and Shine followed with its second double album, The Red Core, produced by Wizard Matt Wallace, whose credits include The Replacements and Faith No More. The album moved between dark and tender, heavy and melodic, attracting listeners ranging from hardcore music fans to artists and casual rock listeners.
For 9 Seconds Before Revolution, the band returned to the same unusual creative process, but with a new collection of songs. This time, 19 songs arrived to Kelly over the course of a few weeks. The band ultimately distilled them down to nine tracks.
Rather than beginning with lyrics, Hide and Shine records the music first, using nonsense words as placeholders. Once the tracks are fully developed, Kelly listens back and writes down the words that come to him, approaching the process almost like recording a dream. The result is music that is not built around predetermined subjects. Instead, the songs themselves determine what they are about and what message needs to come through.
Even the album's title arrived through this process. Kelly woke from a dream one morning and wrote down 'Seconds Before Revolution.' Only later did the band recognize how naturally the phrase captured the album's urgent and sometimes stressful atmosphere, as well as its connection to the reality of 2026.
While 9 Seconds Before Revolution can initially suggest a dark or dystopian landscape, a deeper current runs through the album: social empathy and a hopeful love of humanity. The music confronts the unease of the present while leaving room for connection, curiosity, and possibility.
Hide and Shine fully recorded and produced the album, and bassist David Andersen mixed it, resulting in what the band considers its most solid and impactful work to date.
The band's connection to Kingston has also brought Hide and Shine into the orbit of notable musicians with ties to the area. The group has shared the stage with Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. and Folk Implosion and Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, both of whom have connections to Kingston, which Hide and Shine affectionately calls their 'home planet.'
With 9 Seconds Before Revolution, Hide and Shine continue building a body of work that refuses easy categorization, combining unconventional songwriting, visceral rock instrumentation and lyrics that move between the cosmic and the deeply human.
