“The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons” by The Hives
A new Hives album that comes at you with tidal waves of energy.
Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick is the first Hives album in 11 years, a record that is, above all else, a hell of a good time.
Genre: Rock, Alternative
Label: FUGA
Release Date: August 11, 2023
Vibe: 🎸
In their heyday, the Hives became MTV and festival darlings on the back of a guitar-rock sound that contemporaries like the Strokes and White Stripes also rode to mainstream prominence. With an abrasive sound that hit you like a sledgehammer going through drywall, you looked to them for a specific type of unsubtle exuberance. This year, the Hives returned with their first record since 2012, and, from the first fuzzed-out note of opener (and lead single) “Bogus Operandi,” it’s clear they’re picking up right where they left off. Tidal waves of crunching guitars loom large in the mix, towering over the pounding drums and the punk-ish vocal performance from Pelle Almqvist, who proves he can still wail and shriek with the best of them. Over the course of a tight half-hour, the band powers through a dozen tracks that come at you with so much pizzazz, it’s hard not to get caught up in that indefatigable energy. It’s also a testament to how far rock music has strayed from the template that fuelled their last great era of crossover bankability. To borrow a common music criticism cliche: They don’t make albums like this anymore.
The best moments on this record are the most outrageous. There’s the anti-capitalist “Countdown to Shutdown” that features a reference to “my guy Ponzi,” the mosh-ready wink-wink of “The Bomb,” and the surrealist “Two Kinds of Trouble,” where Almqvist borders on non-sensical, at one point shouting “Boats! Planes! Norwegians! And Danes!” But, when you’re having this much fun, does it all have to make perfect sense? It’s all about creating a vibe that, more than big label payouts, has helped sustain the band through studio release dry spells. “That wasn’t some sort of clever strategy,” Almqvist said of their famously frenetic live performances. “When we go to concerts, we want to see a show that makes you question reality. It has to shoot over the goal and be way too good. That’s what we’ve been able to do.” And, as opening slots on tours with everyone from P!nk to AC/DC will testify, the plan is working.
This album is another successful proof of concept.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈