Hinder released their debut album, Extreme Behavior, on September 27, 2005, through Universal Records. Recorded with producer Brian Howes in Vancouver, it introduced the Oklahoma City band through “Get Stoned” before the power ballad “Lips of an Angel” expanded their audience beyond rock radio.
The relationship with Howes began before Hinder had a record deal. The band recorded six songs with him in 2004, using money earned from local shows and help from their parents. Those recordings included “Get Stoned.” As Austin Winkler recalled in a 2006 interview with SongwriterUniverse, the band had already built enough of a following to draw roughly 1,000 people to a label showcase. Three offers followed, and Hinder chose Universal.
That first trip to Vancouver had originally been intended to produce an independent album. Guitarist Joe Garvey told Yamaha’s All Access magazine that the sessions stopped at about six songs, with the band returning a year later to finish the record in approximately seven weeks. Howes had become part of their writing process as well as their producer. Garvey described a working relationship strong enough that Hinder wanted him involved when it was time to make the full album.
Winkler explained the choice in a separate 2006 interview with PureGrainAudio, now V13. The musicians were fans of Howes’ band Closure, but they also valued his ability to identify and address problems in a song. They were looking for someone who could contribute to the writing as the record developed.
The material took shape over roughly a year. According to Winkler, half was written during the demo sessions, with the remainder developed at home while the band pursued a label deal. He and drummer Cody Hanson worked out the core of each song before the other members added their parts. The album’s writing therefore continued through the period when Hinder were moving from local shows toward a national release.
For Garvey, a song needed to work before the full band arrangement came into play. He told Yamaha that Hinder tested ideas with a voice and an acoustic guitar first. That approach also carried into their performances: acoustic guitars featured in the opening and ending of “Lips of an Angel” and in “Better Than Me.” The quieter parts were built into songs by a band otherwise eager to make its concerts a party.
“Lips of an Angel” gave that approach a specific story. Winkler told SongwriterUniverse that an ex had called while his girlfriend was in the next room. He shared the situation with Hanson, who developed the chord progression. “We knew ‘Lips Of An Angel’ was a good song,” Winkler said, but the response exceeded their expectations.
Released as the follow-up to “Get Stoned,” the ballad helped extend the album’s run into 2006. Touring put Hinder in front of larger audiences, including an opening slot with Aerosmith, and Extreme Behavior eventually reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
The song also traveled beyond Hinder’s own recording. Country singer Jack Ingram recorded “Lips of an Angel” and took his version into the country Top 20, giving the writing partnership behind the rock breakthrough a hit in another format.
