The Hives!
Love ‘em? Hate ‘em?
Indifferent? Never heard of them?
Than this review is for you!
The Hives have been in the public, pop culture zeitgeist for over 2 decades now so I’m not sure many of you will check the “Never heard of them” box, but even if you have never heard the song “Walk Idiot Walk” or “Tick, Tick, Boom” you’re still in the right place.
“But uncle Pascal, I hate those songs! They were made for angsty comedy teen movies in the early 2000’s. People don’t watch movies anymore. And all the teens in those movies grew up to be boomers.”
Okay, okay, I understand but bear with me.
“You poser! The Hives have put out epic albums, and the one you want to review is this new garbage?”
True and fair- But lets see if you can’t be swayed.
Swedish rock band The Hives released their sixth studio album The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons on August 11 2023. For anyone keeping count their last album release was in 2012. Sure they dropped a couple singles not on this album in between that time, but… Wow, that’s a long wait! So why the 11 year long hiatus? Well, according to lead vocalist Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist:
We definitely thought The Hives were over for a while, but we’re really bad at everything else and couldn’t figure out what else to do.
I was almost embarrassed to have to say to fans there was nothing new.
The pandemic really kicked us in the balls. It taught us that we didn’t want to live lives where we’re not in The Hives. We now have a way better attitude to being in the band.
Originally published on celebretainment.com
Damn! I know a thing or two about procrastination and all the troubles of living through a globally mandated pandemic myself, so I can relate. Some things in my life that were on hold got even more delayed due to lockdowns, social distancing and all the other joys that came with covid.
But I digress. I’ll save my true rants for another time and another article.
This may come as a surprise but like many of my favorite bands I wasn’t always a huge fan The Hives, particularly the first time I listened to “Hate To Say I Told You So”. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it.
It was just… eh.
By the time the album Tyrannosaurus Hives was released in 2004 I liked the bands radio hits much more but, for me, still just blended in with the rest of the pop, indie, garage bands that were emerging at the same time. It wasn’t until around 2010-2011 that I ultimately did a deep dive into their music and became a fan.
I was working at the REI warehouse in Sumner WA, where my tasks often involved repetitive work. To alleviate the monotony, I relied on my iPod for daily entertainment. Since the selection of quality podcasts was limited back then, I frequently turned to my personal playlists. However, listening to the same tracks for 40 hours a week eventually became tiresome and mundane. So like a true musical explorer, I often asked my co-workers about their musical preferences (and still do it to this day). This not only infuses variety into my musical library but also offered insights into their personalities based on their musical choices. For instance, if someone mentioned they were into “Barenaked Ladies,” I might hesitate to extend an invitation for post-work drinks at the bar.
See how fun of a game it can be?!
One day, in my quest for fresh sounds to add to my repertoire I asked my co-worker, Chase, what’s a band he listens to on his headphones regularly at work hoping for something new that I could steal for myself. When he said The Hives I almost rolled my eyes and said “…oh. …cool.” But Chase didn’t end with just saying The Hives. He went on a full journey through their entire discography explaining the how and why’s of each album and song’s amazingness.
I was stunned! The Hives weren’t just background noise to get through a shift, but a real, actual listening experience according to Chase. Like a doctor prescribing anti-boredom pills he told me to start by listening to the album Veni Vidi Vicious to get a good sense of what the Hives are all about. I did and I loved it! Then it was backwards to Barelt-Legal, then Tyrannosaurus Hives, then The Black and White Album. And with that, I had a new found respect and love for The Hives and they became another band in heavy rotation through my headphones at work.
Lesson learned: DON’T BASE A BAND ON THEIR RADIO HITS!
9 out of 10 times a bands biggest hits are their worst songs.
Another lesson learned is the more time it takes to put out an album doesn’t necessarily mean it will suck. Typically, in my experience, when a band or artist takes years to release an album and there are new band members, it tends to be a bad sign and almost always the album is a dud. See: Black Sabbath’s 13 or Guns n’ Roses Chinese Democracy albums.
But this album, and Tool’s Fear Inoculum, is thankfully an exception! I took a risk and pre-ordered the special edition “glow in the dark” vinyl with an insert hand-signed by the band. I’d love owning a cool signed Hives record regardless if the album was good or not, but it’s even better that this shit rocks!
Now then, allow me to take you on a similar journey that Chase took me on, but instead of starting near the beginning, if you’re not already a fan, I believe their newest album The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons acts as a perfect starting point. So, let’s begin!
I have included the Spotify album here. Please feel free to hit play and listen along as we go through each song and I’ll explain in a brief summary why I love it and why I think this is the high energy fun you need in your life too.
1. Bogus Operandi – “My personality is rotten all the way”
From those first opening notes ringing out, you know what’s coming next is gonna be great. Not just this song but the entire album. This is a perfect opening track- High energy with a nice steady old-school punk tempo that makes you want to dig out that guitar in the back of your closet and learn the main riff. It’s simple, it’s fun but when the chord change transposition happens towards the end it becomes a work of art.
Great song, great sound production and a great video! But honestly any video that parodies Evil Dead and has a possessed shovel will probably win my heart every time. I give an A+ to this opening track and I’d like say that this is the most Hives-y song on the album but then there was track 2…
2. Trapdoor solution – “Flip the lid and watch them drop (yeah)”
It’s a short song so I will make the description likewise. First I need to address the sound of the drums- Perfection! Great kit? Great mix? Whatever it is, keep doing it.
Secondly, I would have to say of all the songs on this album this one rings the most like it could have been on the Veni Vidi Visious album. Definity going back to their roots with this one. A fast paced verse/chorus, verse/chorus song that, although short and sweet, feels exactly like a Hives song.
And let me just add that, philosophically, I agree 100% with the message of this track- Most of life’s problems can be solved with a trapdoor.
3. Countdown To Shutdown – “A million boys in love with a dozen girls”
It’s no surprise that a band that was so heavily effected by the covid lockdowns would make a song about it. And it happened to be their big hit off this album. There’s no real political message here and maybe singing Countdown to Shutdown has nothing to do with the lockdowns at all. One could read the lyrics and think “It’s just a fun quirky tune”, or you can read them and think that this is a theme song for the beginning of the worst times in recent history… No, no, no lets keep it light. It’s just a fun song. Yeah, yeah.
Side note: It’s August 2023 currently and all the scuttlebutt on Twitter (I mean X 🙄) is that there will be another rollout of lockdowns in mid-September/October. So, I guess let’s start the countdown to shutdown part ll right now!
Did I already use the Alex Jones meme? Dammit!
4. Rigor Mortis Radio – “I got your e-mails yeah, delete delete”
Lets take a break from the high energy and slow down with this track. What I love most about this one is their use of transposing. With every verse/chorus the chords move one step higher never to return to the original note. Brilliant! That method of song writing is rarely heard and it took me a couple listens to even catch what was happening.
If fast-paced isn’t your jam then I think you’ll enjoy this little ditty. Which brings up another great quality of the Hives- they aren’t a one-note-pony. Some songs are fast, some slow, some are funny, some are deep in thought. It’s a wide range that aims to appease anyone willing to listen.
5. Stick Up – “You keep sliding back no matter how you run”
This track can be explained like this- Take the old 50’s swanky nightlife vibe and make it sound like the theme song for any one of Dick Tracy’s enemies and sing a chorus with the most honest line I’ve ever heard in a song: “And they say that life’s a living, but life as we know it, it’s a stick up”.
6. Smoke & Mirrors – “Read all the signs, but you read them wrong”
I still have not seen the Hives live yet but I have heard that they are one of the most entertaining bands with never-ending energy to see. And you would think in that case that they would have more songs like this one, a classic punk anthem arena song. This has the same tone as many of The Stooges tunes or even People Who Died by the Jim Carrol Band. Just guitars, drums and everyone in the crowd singing along!
7. Crash Into The Weekend – “I’m gonna smash all thoughts on how to have fun”
Half way there! This song works perfect as the first track on side 2 of the record. As if to say ‘Let’s do a quick reset and keep the party going’. Lyrically this song conjures visions of my life long ago- Getting ready after work is done on a Friday night to go out to the bar, or find a party and act a fool and waking up Saturday hungover regretting life.
For me it’s a great song and I can listen and smile without having to live through that hangover anymore.
8. Two Kinds Of Trouble – “I was born smarter than most into this world of disarray”
From the first line in the song- There is at least one running theme in the lyrics of The Hives frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist that he often considers himself more intellectual, quick-witted, better dressed and stylish than most of the world at large. To some I’m sure that could give off an aura of pompousness and arrogance, but not me. I think it’s hilarious and I sing along with the same arrogance.
9. The Way The Story Goes – “The story starts, extends, straightens out and bends”
Another kind of swanky slow-jam. Musically it sounds like this song would be in an old horror beach party movie. Maybe the Munsters show up and have a dance-off with the Creature from the Black Lagoon… Sorry, my Halloween is showing. Just a couple more months 🎃
10. The Bomb – “What don’t you wanna not don’t wanna do?”
Another quick and to the point song and review and another quick tip of the hat to the drums. They sound so great in this song! I have totally convinced myself that they only wrote this song so they would have something crazy and obnoxious to play at live shows. (Not that they don’t have enough of those already). It’s a good song with some very funny and clever questioning throughout it. It’s another track that is very “The Hives”, but I would bet it’s at its maximum enjoyment level watching them perform on the stage. Some day…
11. What Did I Ever Do To You? – “Maybe it doesn’t fit but at least it’s a shoe”
This song is very different than anything I have ever heard them play before. It has a very Viagra Boys feel to it. They’re both Swedish bands and from what I’ve read online they both appreciate and are influenced by each others music. Viagra Boys similarities aside, I really love this song. The way the lyrics try to cram words that don’t exactly fit or flow to the music just to get his point across, to the bizarre clanging note brought in during the chorus. It’s weird, it’s different and it get buttoned up nicely with a full flowing jam at the end. Love it.
12. Step Out Of The Way – “Chaos sounds good to me!”
And unfortunately our journey ends here. Although it doesn’t seem like it should. This track doesn’t exactly scream ‘the last track of the album’. But I guess that is the genius of the Hives. When I was first listening to this and the song was over I thought my phone died, because surely that couldn’t have been the end- Yet, sadly, it was. One big back-to-their-roots punk tune send off until the next adventure. Smart though. Keep ‘em wanting more.
Well you just listened to The Death Of Greg Fitzsimmons by The Hives– I don’t know about you but I think it was well worth the wait, but what are your thoughts on it? You know who they are now- Still love them? Still hate them? Let me know, and in the meantime never stop chanting “THE HIVES MUST ALBUM NOW!” (From the Hives marketing campaign sign) and maybe we’ll get the next album a little sooner.
