A half hour of catchy garage-rock spills is what you get from The Hives. Expect nothing less. No more, either. The Hives Forever Forever The Hives continues a cool image for the band, which consistently claims to be the best act around. They went a long way in proving as much on their excellent preceding record, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons. But it’s Sod’s law that profiling yourselves as the greatest band on earth will lead to a drop in material. The Hives Forever Forever The Hives is by no means a poor showing from the band, far from it, but their last album was a career-best effort. It is hard to top that at the best of times. They very nearly do with this moody thrill ride. Lead single Enough is Enough sounds off with rage for the world, which, in the wrong hands, is dangerous. But The Hives are still an intelligent, brilliant beast of a band.
Disbelief at the world around them is what features throughout The Hives Forever Forever The Hives. Catchy, somewhat heavy instrumentals are the core of this latest album. Enough is Enough relies on repetition and roaring rage. It’s the sort of music that’ll give you the confidence to deal with a beetle which crawled from under the skirting board while Enough is Enough ended. Soundtracking the rescue operation of an insect to the beat of Hooray Hooray Hooray certainly has you perspiring more. Not just the fear, but the strength of The Hives as a punchy, hook-reliant band. They are strong with the tools they have, and to hear them embellish the simpler side of music is a treat. It’s their subtleties heard in what could have been a straight-shooting rock and roll album. That tone is what makes The Hives Forever Forever The Hives a treat. Repetition is their recipe, and it works often enough. Bad Call takes the title and stretches it thin, that simple rhyming structure focused on creating energy above all.
But what do you do with this energy once it’s there? The Hives Forever Forever The Hives has no problem building up a freeing feeling, though they have no clue what to do with it. That’s an honesty which serves The Hives well. They keep a refreshing anxiety within songs like O.C.D.O.D., and that certainly helps. This is not just a riotous run through the highs of life. “I’m going down,” Pelle Almqvist warns, and with that he and the band pull into socially conscious efforts. Legalise Living and They Can’t Hear the Music are exceptional moments which provide a depth to The Hives beyond their punk noise levels and garage-inspired instrumental freedom. Born a Rebel, too, has that punchy energy. There is a pride to be had in how genuine an anger towards the world The Hives feature, though they never quite balance subtle and shock.
One or the other works well, though. Path of Most Resistance is as outraged as those noting the cultural decline. The Hives Forever Forever The Hives works best of all when the band uses that punchy tone to bring on a greater message. They do it in the latter half of the album, and what a sensational run of songs it is. Instrumentally inspired, lyrically biting, it’s the fine balance of a band with sincere concerns. This image of them as the best band on earth is a wonderful joke, the feud with Yard Act and earlier Viagra Boys is all part of building a like-minded spirit. They are not at war with one another, but in fact united. The Hives Forever Forever The Hives is a tremendous showcase of that spirit, a collection of songs where blistering performances throw subtle jabs at the shortcomings of the world.
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