Converse invited us to check out their Rubber Tracks pop-up studio at SXSW 2015. While at the studio, we spoke with members of the Rubber Tracks team, and interviewed some of our favorite bands who have been involved with Rubber Tracks. The following article is one of a series of interviews we conducted. The rest of the articles and our SXSW 2015 coverage can be found here.

We got to go back stage at the Fader Fort to speak with Madrid’s latest and greatest export, Hinds (formerly Deers). They played a whopping 16 shows at SXSW and are poised to blow up this year. Also, they’re friends with our friend Juan Wauters. Any friend of Juan’s is a friend of ours. Check our convo below.

AP: Is this your first time at SXSW as a band?
Carlotta: Yes, ever in my life.
Anna: First time in America as a band.

AP: And how do you like it so far?
Anna: We don’t want it to end.
Carlotta: We are doing a ridiculous number of gigs. We’re doing 16 shows and we still don’t want it to end.

AP: How has it compared to your expectations for SXSW?
Carlotta: Hmm. I think I expected it a little bit like this. Like a festival in a city, like everybody’s in the streets, and if you’re walking, you can hear music from here, from there or whatever.
Ade: I expected less cars, and that it would be all walkable and everything walking and lots of people. But it’s lots of traffic jams
Carlotta: We didn’t expect the rain either… that was a surprise (laughs).

AP: That’s cool, and what do you think of Austin as a city?
Amber: I love it, it’s like being in a film.
Carlotta: I think this is not the real Austin, we are seeing a fake Austin because we are in SXSW.
Anna: Yeah but still, so many bars, and so many venues and stuff. We don’t have that many in Madrid. Well done guys.

AP: Have you seen any other artists that you’ve been really impressed with?
Anna: We saw Leon Bridges and we were almost going to cry.
Anna: We saw Macaco, we’re big fans, this Spanish guy. And then we want to see Twin Peaks, I think we’re going to see them in a bit. We saw The Parrots, they’re our friends from Madrid.
Carlotta: Oh, Spring King.
Anna: Amazing band.
Carlotta: We have so many shows, that we don’t have time to go to any shows. It’s a pity. But what we are doing is to wait in the venue, and someone will come up and play, that’s all we can do.
AP: So you get to see the people playing around you.
Carlotta: Yeah, exactly.
Amber: Oh, The Shivas!
Carlotta: Ah, The Shivas, yeah, they were amazing, seriously.

AP: Have you guys seen Juan Wauters yet?
Carlotta: Juan Wauters! Yes! He played with us in this party in a college with a pool and so many students, like a crazy American party. He was there playing, and we were there too.
Ade: (laughs) He has her phone (pointing to Carlotta). She forgot her phone at this mansion we were playing with him, and he took it, and he still has it. So Juanito, please, don’t lose it.
Carlotta: Three days ago
Ade: Three days ago, yeah. Juanito, Juanito.
AP: We can deliver the message, we’re buddies with Juan.
Carlotta: Really, please, send him a message. Carlotta from Hinds, I’m worried (laughs), I’m worried.

AP: We’ll get that taken care of. What’s been your favorite part of SXSW?
Amber: I think today, today is the biggest day we have. We played just in here [referring to the Fader Fort].
Carlotta: Yeah, I think what we are loving the most, is playing, right?
Anna: (laughs) Yeah, it’s the only thing we’re doing.
Ade: We loved the Spanish party, Sounds From Spain. It was like walking into actual Spain, everyone was having paella and sangria, and speaking Spanish. It was like, where are we now? It was fun.

AP: And what’s the best food you’ve had in Austin?
Carlotta: Burritos from last night.
Ade: They were Taco Bell .
All: (laughs)
Carlotta: I didn’t know that.
Ade: But it was amazing.
Carlotta: Yeah, tasted like heaven.
Ade: We have Taco Bell in Spain, but it’s not the same.
Anna: No, it’s not the same, way different.
All: (laughs)

AP: How’d you guys get involved with Converse Rubber Tracks?
Carlotta: That’s a good question. Because we recorded our second single in the Rubber Tracks studio in Berlin. It was like a contest in Madrid. Like, Converse Make Noise Rubber Tracks, hashtag Rubber Tracks.
All: (laughs)
Carlotta: It was like a competition of bands. There were so many gigs at the same time, a little festival in Madrid and we, we…
Anna: We won.
All: (laughs)
Carlotta: I didn’t know how to say it, without sounding like that. We won, and we went to Berlin to record the second single.

AP: OK, now some questions about your shoes. High tops or low tops?
Carlotta: Low tops.
Anna: Low tops.
Ade: I’m sorry I’m not (she wasn’t wearing Converse).
Carlotta: Yeah, you get out.
All: (laughs)

AP: It’s your birthday, you can do whatever you want.
All: (laughs)

AP: And then, what’s your favorite color Converse?

Carlotta: White.
Ade: I just saw his [pointing to chief AP Vidman Andrew’s shoes]
Amber: Yeah green ones!
Anna: Those are super cool.
Ade: We have a new favorite, that’s it. Come here and show it.

AP: What’s your favorite kind of pudding?
Carlotta: Kind of…?
AP: Pudding.
Carlotta: What is that?
AP: You know, like chocolate, it’s kind of soft, it’s hard to describe.
Carlotta: Flan?
AP: Yeah, kinda like flan.
Anna: Flan? (laughs)
Carlotta: I don’t know, we don’t know .
Anna: We don’t really know what it is so…
[Andrew points to Mic flag]
Ade: Allston Pudding is our favorite!
Anna: You can cut this question.

AP: One last question, what are you guys doing next?
Anna: Immediately, we’re playing. We’re late just because of you (laughs). We’re going to tour after this in America. We’re going to LA, san Diego, San Francisco, Santa Anna and Pomona and two shows in New York. Then we’re going back to Spain, finishing the album, recording it and then festivals. Festivals in the summer.

AP: Great, I think that’s all, unless there’s something else you want to say.
Anna: Keep the budget low.

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Just before SXSW, Converse launched a new campaign called “Made by you”. This interview was made possible by the fine folks at Converse.

“Made by you” is a global celebration highlighting Converse Chuck Taylor All Star, the only sneaker defined by those who wear them. Converse has curated a collection of Chuck Taylor All Star portraits, showcasing endless diversity and self-expression of individuals past and present who choose to wear Chuck Taylor All Star – from musicians to artists, skaters to fashionistas, the known to the unknown. Their portraits offer a contemporary lens into the distinctly unique worlds they inhabit.