Cover Story: The Hives – The Best Part of the Day
The Hives
When a band makes a grand return after a decades-long absence, it’s a mix of emotions. There’s equal parts dread and excitement, happy to return to adoring fans, yet anxious to see if anyone still cares, especially in the short attention span of the streaming age. But those pesky thoughts never seemed to bother The Hives. Why? Because they’re the best band in the world. That confidence has always been a part of the band’s canon. Keep in mind, this is the band that titled their first compilation album **Your New Favorite Band. After a ten-year absence, that confidence is still fully realized.
The Swedish garage rockers returned this year with The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, the long overdue follow-up to their 2012 album Lex Hives. Picking up where the previous album left off, it’s 32 minutes of unbridled energy, boot-stomping anthems, and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. It’s what we’ve come to expect from the band. But their sudden appearance left many wondering where they were this whole time. According to the band, their mysterious sixth member, Randy Fitzsimmons, is responsible for their absence.
Fitzsimmons, hailed as the founder, mentor, and songwriter behind The Hives, disappeared after the band’s last album. Without their leader, they were lost, unsure of what to do next. They soon found the answer when they stumbled upon an obituary which led them to Fitzsimmons’ tombstone. In search of answers, they dug up the grave and found demo tapes and a piece of paper plotting out the new album. Guitarist Niklas Almqvist, aka Nicholaus Arson, has a more straightforward explanation: they were on tour.
“The first three years of our 11-year absence was spent touring **Lex Hives. After that, we started getting things that were a little too good to turn down, like touring with AC/DC in Australia.” On top of endless touring, a string of unfortunate events added to the lengthy delay between albums.
“Around the time we were touring with AC/DC in 2019, [drummer] Chris Grahan (aka Chris Dangerous) had an operation that went south, so he was out of it for a while. He’s fine now, but he was in pretty terrible shape. Then there was the pandemic (laughs), so I guess there was a bit of bad luck piling up during that period. The biggest thing was not being in touch with our sixth member, so we weren’t making any progress as far as making new songs. I guess that was a big part of why the record took so long, but maybe the record would’ve taken as long regardless due to all the different issues we had, or the world had, or the fun stuff we got to do that got in the way of making the record. Maybe it would’ve taken the same amount of time anyway.”
Having a bandmate out of commission on top of the pandemic could be the death knell of a band; they already lost bassist Dr. Matt Destruction, who left the band in 2013. Yet, you can’t keep The Hives down. Rather than stop, the band reformed with temporary drummers Joey Castillo and Phoenix’s Thomas Hedlund, aka “Boomas,” and hit the stage once again. “It gave us the impression that we could still do it,” says Almqvist. “I mean, I’ve been replaced at certain shows and stuff, but for the most part, we want to go as The Hives; obviously, that’s our first choice, but if we can’t do it, we can still do shows, which is good for us all.”
But once the tours ended and The Hives returned home, Almqvist admits that questions about the band’s future started creeping into his head. “When there’s boring stuff in the pipeline, you might feel like maybe we’re done. It felt a little bit like that after the AC/DC tour because that was my first love. That was the first rock band I fell in love with when I was six years old. When we toured with them, it kind of felt like it was full circle. If we’re done now, I’d be okay with that.”
When the band started working on the new album, those fears disappeared, much like Randy Fitzsimmons years ago. They began working on the record during the pandemic and set out to make the album “a complete banger,” something that would be “a kick in the ass,” especially since it’s their comeback record. Most importantly, it had to sound and feel like a proper Hives record.
“We had an idea of where we wanted the record to go,” says Almqvist. “We obviously wanted it to sound like a Hives record, but we wanted to incorporate different sounds, like having a [Rolling] Stones-y guitar mixed with some Beastie Boys-esque drums and do some punk thing out of that (laughs). Once we started working on it, we had Pelle Gunderfelt record it – he recorded our first three albums – and when he got on board and started being an engineer and really mixing it, it came together as this super energetic record. It was pretty fast for a band that hasn’t made a record in 11 years. Once we decided what to do with the music, it felt like we were finished working on the songs, and then we were good to go.”
“I guess we could make a record that would be something else,” Almqvist continues. “Some other direction, I guess, but when you’ve been away for 11 years from releasing records, it becomes a comeback record no matter what you want to call it. When you’re coming back, you want that to be a kick in the ass. You want to come out of the gate running full speed. You want to feel like ‘The Hives are fucking back.’ So, that’s what we did. This sounds very much like The Hives, and it sounds like good Hives.”
Once the album was done, the band turned their attention to touring, never once questioning whether or not anyone would care about a new Hives record. “I didn’t feel any worry because I left the record back in March [2023]. If we make good stuff, that’s the best we can do. I don’t think any of us are capable of making a record where we’re trying to please a fanbase. If you release music that you’re passionate about, then you’re good. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it. I never really cared about our records selling thousands or millions of copies. I enjoy both (laughs). Sometimes, it’s fun to sell a million for obvious reasons, but I never thought about it too much. You try to make a record that’s as good as possible and then take it from there. If you want to release something you can tour for three years, you have to think it’s a good record. That’s always the most important thing.”
Needless to say, The Hives made a successful comeback. The album’s success and the worldwide sold-out shows are a testament to how much they were missed. They’ve returned just in time to fill a gaping void in rock music. During a time when mainstream rock feels very tame, same, and generic, The Hives are here to be rock’s saviors to give it a swift kick in the ass and remind us how rock is supposed to be fun.
“To me, rock is in great shape because there’s a ton of bands, but mainstream rock n roll constantly needs saving,” says Almqvist. “It’s like when the British Invasion or grunge or punk or even the second wave of punk or even the garage wave in the 2000s came around; it’s constantly that type of energetic music comes and saves the day when rock has gone all adult and sour and shit. You need a band like The Ramones or The Cramps or The Hives or Sex Pistols to come in and sort of save the day and remind people that rock n roll is fun shit. Don’t make it too complicated.”
This mantra has kept the band going for nearly 30 years. And there’s no sign of them stopping. The Hives started as a way to make music, hang out with friends, and live out their rock and roll dreams. Now, they’re actually living the dream, something that often leaves Almqvist in disbelief.
“We started the band when we were 14 years old. We never thought we’d live past 25. When you’re a kid, you can’t see that far ahead. We thought people who were 30 were so fucking old; they shouldn’t even be out in the streets. So, no, we never pictured this. Maybe it was a dream to be where we are now. We always dreamt of being a touring band. We have older bands in our hometown who got to tour the US, Australia, Europe, and Japan, and we wanted to do what they were doing. I never expected to be where we are now. Never expected to have this as a job. We never expected to do it for so long and for so many records, but it’s great. It’s one of the best jobs you can have in the world.”
Now that The Hives have made their grand return, what’s next for the band? Shows and even more shows. The band will spend the rest of the year touring and will probably be back on the road next year in support of the album. Otherwise, Almqvist doesn’t have an answer. “We’re coming back rejuvenated like children, so we’re not thinking that far ahead,” he says. The only thing he’s thinking about is kicking ass on stage.
“As a live band, we’ve only got better over the years. We’re in the best shape we’ve ever been. We sound great. We play great. It’s a good rock show. The hour and 15 minutes we’re on stage is the most fun we have all day. I mean it hurts and all, but it’s fun. It’s the best part of the day.”
The Hives will play their first Chicago show in four years on November 5th at Bottom Lounge.
– Ashley Perez Hollingsworth
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Category: Cover Story, Featured
