More about: The Hives

The Hives have ascended to almost elder statesmen of rock at this point. You might not have realised, but their debut came out 25 years ago and is only a matter of weeks younger than this reviewer. Over the last quarter century, The Hives have established themselves as a rock n roll juggernaut and played some of the biggest stages across the world, as well as writing and releasing some huge songs. 

They’ve garnered themselves a new fanbase over the last 6 months too, their tour support with Arctic Monkeys over the summer has exposed The Hives to a massive new audience, who lapped up the band’s punk rock ethos and on-stage hijinks. They played set after set of high-intensity, high-energy, in-your-face rock music, and The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is more of the same. 

‘Randy Fitzsimmons’ himself is a character found deep in the books of Hives’ lore - Fitzsimmons is the imaginary sixth Hive and founding member of the group. Could his death be symbolic of a new leaf for The Hives? Free from the shackles of Fitzimmons have they grown beards and created a posturing introspective psychedelic prog record? Of course not, it's The Hives exactly as we know and love them. The record opens with three unrelenting bangers, ‘Bogus Operandi’, ‘Trapdoor Solution’ and ‘Countdown to Shutdown’, all of which are these monumental rock stompers, seemingly written with the express intent of sending a live crowd intro absolute meltdown. They’re groovy and loud, with all the grace and poise of an express locomotive, which is exactly what you want from The Hives. 

‘Rigor Mortis Radio’ is an early highlight, with Howlin Pele expressing lyrical sentiment all too familiar to any journo or PR agent “I got your emails, delete delete”. ‘Stick Up’ is a brilliant moment, a cut that sways and swaggers impressively, following a brass undertone with sixties swing vibes undercutting the whole track. After such a long hiatus between records, The Death of really feels like The Hives shedding any baggage and writing a record with a determined sense of “we don’t give a fuck” - perhaps Randy Fitzsimmons’ untimely passing enabled them to create such a record, we may never know. 

‘Crash into the Weekend’ is a huge moment on the record, which tells tales of teenage debauchery and youthful exuberance, akin to Hard-Fi’s ‘Living for the Weekend’. This is also true of ‘The Bomb’ with the band relentlessly chanting “we’re going out tonight “ as Howlin Pele delivers a truly brilliant vocal performance, holding a fantastically long “yeeeeaaahh” as rock n roll chaos descends around him. The cut is like The Hives distilled, and it is utterly fantastic. 

"The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is so utterly The Hives"

The band get a little more reflective in “What Did I Ever Do to You”, a track that details a relationship breakdown and the pain and self-assessment that comes along with it. Before you’ve had a chance to gather your thoughts after an unexpectedly sensitive moment, The Hives blindside you with ‘Step Out of the Way”, a classically punky Hives cut ending abruptly, leaving you wanting more. 

The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is so utterly The Hives, yet it manages to intrigue and entertain throughout. Short, sharp bangers are best played at maximum volume for the full effect and will get you moving and bouncing no matter your mood. Randy Fitzsimmons is dead, long live The Hives.

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More about: The Hives