The worst part about The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is that it took 11 years to come out. Most bands aren’t together for that long and a gap in a discography that big makes you wonder if the band has called it quits but they didn’t tell anybody. Thankfully The Hives are forever and the wait was well worth it.
Swedish Punk is what The Hives are and what they deliver. Half an hour of power albums. Two to three-minute-long tracks stuffed with some of the catchiest riffs, often non-sensical lyrics, bombastic drum and bass, and loud and proud chanting and sing-along choruses.
Breaking out in the US in the early 2000s, The Hives had a few hit songs but never truly went mainstream here. They’ve developed a solid foundation of fans here but are much more popular in Europe. In the last decade, they’ve toured a lot–opening for large acts like Pink and Maroon 5 for stadium tours-but headline clubs and theaters. They consistently deliver high-energy and fun live shows for the entire career. I doubt you’d find anyone who wasn’t impressed by their live act even if they don’t like this genre of music. They also put out a few singles and played a few of the songs on this album live over the years. It just took whatever reason for them to finally go to the studio and record.
But enough with the past. There’s a certain comfort and joy that comes with a Hives album and Fitzsimmons is arguably one of their best. I loved their last LP, Lex Hives, and thought it’d be tough to beat. You’d never guess the gap in time was this long by listening to Fitzsimmons. Their highest energy and creativity can be found here, they haven’t lost a single step. I listen to this album from start to finish, which is pretty rare for me. In fact, this album contains two of my all-time favorite songs from any band: Smoke & Mirrors and Crash Into The Weekend. It is impossible to stay still when these vibrations come out of the speakers. These tracks are sandwiched between two other bangers, Stick Up and Two Kinds of Trouble (and The Way The Story Goes and The Bomb) which makes for a hell of a stretch of jumping and high kicks around your house, car, and possibly place of employment. All of the songs they released as singles are great and that’s only the public bite of what’s on offer. I urge everyone to give this a full spin. Even the song I like the least, What Did I Ever Do To You?, has its merits that won me over (mainly the final quarter that sports a bombastic horn section).
The best part of this album is that it is a The Hives album. They simply deliver to their fans what they want. That’s a bad thing if you don’t like The Hives because none of these 12 tracks will change your mind about them. But that makes you weird and you can go kick rocks. The rest of us will be smiling and sweating all over each other.