There aren’t many bands left from that early 2000s post-punk/indie rock explosion that transpired in New York. The bratty, self-aware, and indifferent music scene that birthed The Strokes, Jonathan Fire*Eater, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Interpol. In fact, none of those aforementioned bands exist in any sort of revered capacity. If they are making albums still it’s merely for nostalgia purposes. One band that is still alive and kicking and rocking and rolling is Sweden’s The Hives.
You don’t tend to think of The Hives as part of that early 2000s movement, as they were more of a fun, exuberant rock and roll band. More punk than post-punk. They took their cues more so from the Buzzcocks and not Joy Division. They released consistently fun, upbeat records throughout the 2000s, but after 2012’s Lex Hives the band took an 11-year hiatus. They returned with The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons in 2023, like they never missed a beat. And now, the Swedes are back again with The Hives Forever Forever The Hives.
What do you get with The Hives’ new long player? You get exactly what you would hope to get, plus a little more. Big garage rock/punk rock anthems sung with vigor and energy. There’s also a touch of wistfulness in these tracks, like a band happy to be here nearly 30 years on and still doing what they do best.
With The Hives there are no codes that need to be broken or deep meanings hidden under layers of studio sheen. The band makes songs made for playing at full volume and screaming at the top of your lungs during the morning’s commute. Two to three minute bangers with shaggy guitar riffs, caffeinated drums, and the vocals of Howlin’ Pete Almqvist barked into the red.
From the rocking opener of “Enough is Enough” to the pomp and circumstance of “Bad Call” to the chugging garage rock of “O.C.D.O.D.”, The Hives are firing on all cylinders. “Roll Out The Red Carpet” has that strutting garage rock attitude the band made themselves known for on Veni Vidi Vicious, while closer and title track “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives” has an almost a melancholy feel.
If this is the last Hives album, the band can feel confident in knowing they went out on their own terms. The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, indeed.
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I love it. In a week that saw four big releases for me on bands I really like I didn’t expect The Hives to be the only one I’d listen to on repeat for every drive home. But here we are
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It’s a catchy record, isn’t it? I just love that out of all those bands that came out of that whole early 2000s garage rock revival they’ve remained consistently good. I think that’s because they never tried being something else like so many of those other bands. They stuck to their sound and were all the better for it.
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They have the core sound thing like Ramones or Buzzcocks. They know what they’re about
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