When you’re a kid you might say “let’s pretend” to get your playmates to buy in to some imagined world. As a teenager it morphs to “let’s say” and as adults we try to pull off the sophistry of “I think we can all agree” without anyone noticing.
Here on the CD Odyssey we don’t do any of that. It’s just one person’s musical observations (mine) and you can agree as much or as little as you like.
Disc 1957 is…The Hives Forever Forever the Hives
Artist: The Hives
Year of Release: 2025
What’s up with the Cover? The Hives dressed up as a quintette of kings (which would be a good name for a band).
When I was younger I belonged to a medieval re-enactment group. I was a 15th century pirate with a penchant for purple, which some of the more ardent re-creationists felt was an affront to the king.
It was good fun and I was mostly left unaccosted unless I crossed too close in front of the throne (occupied or not) and made it even more of a thing.
If the Hives tried to cosplay these particular outfits there would definitely be some accosting. Of the fun kind, though. Less fun if they were actually trying to pull this off in the actual 15th century, where it would have led to five very serious and immediate beheadings.
How I Came To Know It: I read a review and overcame that common bias we experience when we know a band has been around for a while and assume that if we were going to like them it would’ve happened by now. Instead I gave it a go and…here we are.
How It Stacks Up: The Hives have a bunch of records but so far this is my only one, so it can’t stack up.
Ratings: 3 stars
Sometimes when you see a bunch of soccer hooligans marching toward a stadium and chanting I think to myself “what do these guys listen to pre-game to get themselves into a good lather?” “The Hives Forever Forever the Hives” feels like a strong contender. More on this later.
“The Hives Forever, etc.” are what I would call “straight rock and roll, no chaser”. This is the pure stuff. Not particularly creative, nor innovative but just good old fashioned guitar riffs and up-tempo bangers. Good for driving fast, toasting your buddies, or maybe fisticuffs. I like the first two of those things (n.b. not at the same time) and that generally supportive but not all-in approach is how I’d characterize my reaction to this record.
The Hives have a throwback British punk scene sound, with beats that lean forward and guitar chords that crash with frenetic energy. I was surprised to learn they are actually from Sweden. Not exactly a Stefan Edberg “talented but genteel” vibe here.
Where they are Edberg-like is in the precision of their playing, which is top notch. These guys are tight in a way most bands dream about. It is all very fast and furious, but their skills give these songs a polish that most pop songs would envy.
The result is a lot of radio bangers that aren’t exceptionally creative but are a lot of fun. Not a complicated road course here, but they lean tight and fast into what corners there are. As for the riffs, at their best they are timeless perfection and at their worst they are “pretty sure I’ve heard this one before – but still like it”.
In terms of the lyrics, I found myself returning to the aforenoted hooligans (I told you we’d return). I would say that the Hives mostly sing about what can best be characterized as mindless rebellion; middle finger raised to the world (or two fingers in England) combined with recurring announcements exhorting you to party. I love to party, but the parties depicted here feel like the kind that start with friendly toasts and end with someone getting head-butted over something they said about Arsenal.
The opening lines of “Enough is Enough” are:
“Everyone's a little f**kin' bitch
And I am getting sick and tired of it
Went to the doctor 'cause I was sick
Sick of everybody's bulls**t”
And if that doesn’t sufficiently paint a picture, try the chorus from “Paint a Picture”:
“Oh, let me paint a picture
I ain't no f**king slob
Oh, let me paint a picture
More like a f**king god to you”
The chorus from “Paint a Picture” is delivered in unison barroom
style that was tailor-made to be a soccer chant someday, if it isn’t already.
It’s fun to sing along but it doesn’t exactly provide compelling metaphors or
convincing oratory. Then again, it isn’t supposed to. It is supposed be
mindless fun, and “The Hives Forever, etc…” is exactly that. Not in any way
thought-provoking but a high-energy good time whether driving fast, partying hard,
or just getting energized – ideally with no one getting punched.
Best tracks: Enough is Enough, Bad Call, Paint a Picture, Path of Most Resistance
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