Hinder: more mature but not at all mellow

March 7, 2013 at 12:05a.m.

Saying no is something rock act Hinder hasn’t done much of since it arrived on the rock scene nearly a decade ago.

In fact, the Oklahoma City act’s reputation for debauchery is notorious. Considering the group is older now, has that worked against the band?

“Yeah, that image is definitely accurate,” said drummer Cody Hanson. “But that wasn’t something that we ever tried to create. We were just out [expletive] having a good time, living it up and doing what anybody else would do. We just kind of happened to get that reputation, but I wouldn’t look at it as a negative.”

Hinder burst into the mainstream with its multi-platinum 2005 debut effort, “Extreme Behavior,” which included hit singles “Get Stoned” and “Lips of an Angel.” Just as the group was the darling of the rock- radio world, fate quickly added a damper to the party when its 2008 sophomore effort, “Take It to the Limit” failed to maintain the group’s momentum.

The follow-up affair, 2010’s “All American Nightmare,” was filled with anthemic gems and rich guitar sounds. The album’s title track was a radio hit, thus once again putting the band on the map.

Now Hinder is back with its fourth studio effort, “Welcome to the Freakshow,” which Hanson said found the group wanting to make a diverse-sounding album.

“With ‘All American Nightmare,’ we wanted to make a heavier rock record,” Hanson said. “This one gave us a chance to sit there, be really creative and play around with different sounds and different techniques. We wanted every song to be completely different.”

The album boasts a spectrum of genres including the super pop “Is It Just Me,” the loop-heavy “Should Have Known Better,” the country-influenced “Anyone But You” and the rocking “Save Me.”

“I think, musically, we have matured,” Hanson said. “We’re kind of doing things different, relying on ourselves more than we ever have. It’s just everything happened fast when we were getting started, and I think we kind of lost a little bit of the control. So in doing our best to regain that, I guess in a sense we have matured.”

However, Hanson stressed Hinder going the mature route doesn’t equate to the band mellowing out. In fact, proving the Sooner state act hasn’t lost a beat, he points out the group’s ingenious plan for this tour’s backstage fuel.

“We get free vodka now, so that helps a lot,” Hanson said. “That was the worst — when you run out of vodka on the road. When you’re not your own supplier, you get kind of grumpy. But now we make sure we have it stocked. We have it on the bus at all times.”

Hearing the band is a touring distillery of sorts, that must mean fans are discouraged from buying the Hinder guys drinks at tonight’s show at Rodeo Music Hall?

“Whoa, they can if they want,” Hanson said. “I’m not going to say no.”