The Hives are fast becoming a larger force of faux bravado with a real edge to their music. It is a fine line helped tremendously by the essential charisma of frontman Pelle Almqvist. This fiery style and the ribbing comes from their not-so-serious presentation shine a light on a necessary, lighter experience for the band. It does not aid their music, but it strengthens our perception of them as an outfit. A cover of Blue Swede’s Hooked on a Feeling may feel like a left-field choice, but it is the closest The Hives has gotten to replicating the false ego and wild machoism of their stage presence in their music. Their blissfully short version of Hooked on a Feeling sounds rushed. A mangled attempt at adding it to their garage rock repertoire.
Some covers are just not all there. Hooked on a Feeling is missing more than a few moments which made the Blue Swede original such a classic. But it also misses the chance to cement The Hives as the boisterous bunch we have come to know and love. Endure it still for it kills off two minutes, but there is little reason to return to it. The beauty of Hooked on a Feeling is in the melody. The pop-rock brevity is lost to garage rock futility. One is not better than the other but The Hives fail to leave much of an impression on the B.J. Thomas and Mark James original. Blue Swede remain the kings of this tune, but thanks for trying Hives. They gunned for the Blue Swede version and were left with a Spotify single sounding rushed and uncomfortable with the lightness of the words.
Yet Hooked on a Feeling is not far removed from the lightness and frank fun of early songs from The Hives. Where it scuppers the chance to leave a mark because of a questionable Almqvist lead vocal and the hurried ooga chaka from the rest of the band, it has the instrumental fury expected of The Hives. Streaming service single or not, it is peculiar not to follow up with the sound of The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons. This is the sort of cover you would expect from the malaise-covered pub band. Brash and loud efforts to try and cover the very loose grasp of the song itself. The Hives don’t have time for that, they have an image to uphold.
Screams, drums and guitars are the big three The Hives have so often relied on. Where it guided them to great success last year with their sixth studio album, it sinks the chances of Hooked on a Feeling. A bizarre cover but there can be lovely discoveries made in the sudden bursts of love for old music. Plenty have done it before, but few are doing it right at present. Hooked on a Feeling is harmless yet thoroughly forgettable. Again, it captures the essence of The Hives’ image, not their sound. Booming vocals and a coldness to it imply the band wishes to be back fawning over their projected image. Hooked on a Feeling is a slight warning shot of where Almqvist and the gang would be if they did not have depth behind their well-tuned image of ego-driven rockers.
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