The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
Eleven years after their last studio album, The Hives have returned with a vengeance, doing their bit to help rock'n'roll supplant flatpack furniture as Sweden’s greatest export
The Hives waste zero time getting down to the nitty gritty of rock'n'roll on The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, using opening track and single Bogus Operandi to remind the world exactly what they've been missing for the last decade. A blistering statement of intent, Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and co. have refined their musical stylings down to an outrageously danceable science.
The other two singles on the record, Countdown to Shutdown and Rigor Mortis Radio, provide further evidence of The Hives’ uncanny ability to make music that is impossible to stand still to. Swaggering and supremely catchy tunes permeate the album, with The Clash-esque Smoke & Mirrors, a particular standout alongside Crash Into the Weekend, an old-school ode to one of the true pillars of rock’n’roll, a little bit of weekend excess.
Clocking in at less than half an hour, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is a breathless exercise in how rock music should be played. It’s fun, frenetic, and full to the brim with that trademark Hives humour. Here's hoping we don’t have to wait another 11 years for the next album by one of this generation’s greatest rock bands.
Listen to: Bogus Operandi, Smoke & Mirrors, Rigor Mortis Radio