When Swedish rock’n’roll firebrands The Hives announce a new album, the world takes notice. For three decades, the five-piece have stormed stages in matching suits, injected rock with swagger, humour, and chaos, and reminded us that live music should always feel like it’s teetering on the edge of collapse. Now they’re back with their seventh long-player, the gloriously self-titled The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, dropping August 29 via Play It Again Sam. If their last record (The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, 2023) was about resurrecting the beast after a decade of silence, this one is about victory laps and legacy — delivered with trademark Hives bravado.
“We say The Hives Forever, you say Forever The Hives. That’s all it takes.” – The Hives
The Hives were recently in Australia ripping up stages from town to town with their exciting live show, previewing a few tracks from the upcoming new album. Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips tracked down The Hives guitarist Niklas Arson during some downtime between the July Australian shows to chat about the creation of the new record ‘The Hives Forever Forever The Hives’
ABOUT THE TITLE TRACK AND NEW SINGLE
The title track The Hives Forever Forever The Hives is the band’s latest anthem, and it’s everything fans could hope for: high-octane riffs, wild-eyed energy, and Pelle Almqvist barking proclamations like the charismatic frontman/ringleader he is. The accompanying video (WATCH THE VIDEO HERE), directed by long-time collaborator Filip Nilsson, is suitably over the top. Shot inside Stockholm City Hall, the iconic venue of the Nobel Prize banquet, it opens with the band sailing in on a Viking ship. Because, of course, The Hives wouldn’t do it any other way.
THE MAKING OF A RECORD
The album itself is a trans-Atlantic effort. Produced with their long-time sonic ally Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Viagra Boys, Yung Lean), it also features input from Mike D of the Beastie Boys, who welcomed the band into his Malibu studio. Even Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age dropped by to lend his ears. The result? Thirteen tracks of unfiltered Hives chaos, including the singles Enough Is Enough, Paint A Picture, and Legalize Living, alongside future fan favourites like Born A Rebel and Path of Most Resistance.
THE LEGACY CONTINUES
Since their breakthrough with Veni Vidi Vicious in 2000, The Hives have built a reputation as one of the most explosive live acts in the world. They’ve shared stages with AC/DC and The Rolling Stones, picked up MTV and NME Awards, and sold millions of records globally. Their single Hate To Say I Told You So remains an alt-rock classic, landing in Pitchfork’s list of the top 500 songs of the 2000s.
The press has never been shy about their impact either. The BBC once called them “a force of nature,” while Rolling Stone ranked Veni Vidi Vicious among the best albums of its decade. For The Hives, though, it’s always been about the moment — the sweat, the volume, the immediacy of a riff that feels like it could take the roof off.
THE HIVES FOREVER FOREVER THE HIVES (ALBUM) – OUT 29 AUGUST https://the-hives.ffm.to/forever-album