The Hives are Here Forever
Image via Instagram
You probably know who The Hives are without knowing who they are. That was the case for me. I had definitely heard their songs, but I didn’t realize who the band was until I saw them at the Shaky Knees festival in Atlanta. After that performance, I never forgot them. That’s the goal of the band - once you hear them or see them live, you’ll never forget them. That’s also the reason for the new album, The Hives Forever Forever The Hives.
The Hives put on a persona that they are the biggest rock band in the world, yet most people probably don’t know them. You’ve heard the tunes “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Walk Idiot Walk” from the early days of Garage Rock Revival/Post-Punk Revival. With bands like The White Stripes and The Killers leading the charge, The Hives also played a role in this shift in music. Many of the bands from that era have been making music the whole time, and The Hives are no different. They’re just waiting for you to notice.
Make it stand out
The Hives Forever Forever The Hives is an unequivocal Hives album. In a time where the world changes every time you wake up, The Hives feel like an old friend. The album as a whole is meant to be sung with fans. You can easily pick up the lyrics and sing along with the band. If you’re looking for the next phase of post-punk, you won’t find it here, but that’s not a bad thing.
The standout tracks for me are “Enough Is Enough”, “Paint A Picture”, “Roll Out the Red Carpet”, “They Can’t Hear the Music”, “Path of Most Resistance”, and of course, “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives”. Many of the tracks on the album sound similar to that 2004-2008 Garage Rock sound. The band still keeps you on your toes with songs like “O.C.D.O.D.,” which feels like it could’ve been ripped from an Idles album. There’s also “Born A Rebel” that has a twang in it that feels like 90s country rock. Last of all, there’s the celebration of the band itself in the title track; the entire song feels like the ending to a movie about The Hives. I could picture the band dancing around as the credits roll past.
If you’re reminiscing on the soundtrack of the 2000s and 2010s, this can help fill that void. It’s taking what the band is good at — lyrically, instrumentally, and their famous, self-assured persona — and bringing it to a 2025 audience. It’s a celebration of all things The Hives. In an era where artists come and go by what’s trending on TikTok, The Hives are here forever.
