The Hives – ‘The Hives Forever Forever The Hives’ album review: A band that won’t ever relent
When the garage rock revival of the 2000s really came into full swing, The Hives must have been laughing at the idea that the US and UK were trying to lay claim to being at the forefront of such a movement.
While the Swedish five-piece weren’t exactly well-known outside of their home country when the likes of The White Stripes and The Strokes were taking all of the credit for reviving the scrappy sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s, they’d proven that their industriousness over the course of two albums and a handful of EPs was nothing to be sniffed at, and that they finally had an opportunity to crack the rest of the West.
Neatly packing their ‘best of’ from these early records into a 12-song compilation called Your New Favourite Band, the tongue-in-cheek title didn’t just serve as a jab at how they’d been ignored by the major players in the industry, but the self-belief that came with it was completely well-founded. Major music publications fell head over heels for the bratty vocal delivery and raucous guitars, and out of thin air, they developed an avid fanbase in a Western market.
This newfound attention didn’t lead to sudden diminished returns either; The Hives were hell-bent on giving the people exactly what they promised, which is no-nonsense rock. Of course, when bands of this ilk begin to outstay their welcome, things begin to turn sour and the quality falls off the deep end, but with the Hives, their modus operandi has always been simple enough to replicate time and time again.
This is why it brings great joy to announce that The Hives Forever Forever The Hives is far from being the sound of a band who are going through the motions and looking to get enough of a paycheck to retire comfortably on. This is the sound of a group who have so much confidence in their sound still being as vital as ever, and who haven’t compromised on the aggression, snarl and kinetic energy that made them such an exciting prospect as youngsters.
They may have had one lineup change since their early days, with bassist Dr Matt Destruction departing after the release of their fifth album, Lex Hives, but since they returned in 2023 for their first album in 10 years, there doesn’t seem to be any sign that they’re ready to give up. The entire ethos of garage rock is to forego all of the whistles and bells or intricacies of other strands of rock music, and the Hives understand the essence of this.
This is arguably why they continue to triumph in a world where other rock bands of their era have strayed to a place where their music is both unrecognisable and irredeemable. They understand that playing riffs at breakneck speed is what made people fall in love with them in the first place. They understand that Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, as a frontman, will always be at his best when living up to his name. They understand the tightness of their musicians is paramount, but that it doesn’t need to be too polished.
At the end of the day, this does all mean that this is just another Hives record, but when a band knows exactly where their strengths lie and they’ve still got enough imagination left to inject originality into their new iterations of the same method, then how the hell is it going to go wrong? The Hives may well be trying to last forever, and we, thankfully, will forever have The Hives.
Defining track – ‘O.C.D.O.D’: There’s always something special about a Hives song where they spell out the title, and this only adds to their wonderful track record. It’s a venomous garage rock rager that harks back to the brilliance of their early albums, and a fine way to emphasise that they’ve still got it in the tank.
For fans of: Guys pushing 50 who refuse to act their age, snotty vocalists, and riffs that make you want to break road laws.
A concluding comment from the gods of garage rock: “We’re doing all we can to keep these boys alive forever, and that’s for everyone’s benefit.”
Release Date: August 29th, 2025 | Producer: Pelle Gunnerfeldt | Label: PIAS
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