The Hives have released their first album in over a decade – and it’s heavier, louder and faster than ever. With The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons, the Swedish garage rockers revamp their trademark brand of frantic rock and roll, proving the genre – or at least one of its greatest purveyors – still has a few years left in it yet.

Spanning twelve tracks and coming in at just under 32 minutes, the band’s sixth studio LP boasts all the ingredients of a classic punk record: short but sweet, The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons doesn’t muck about or take itself too seriously, prioritising raw energy over flashy embellishments. This back-to-basics approach is where The Hives’ appeal lies; never ones to shy away from the more wacky aspects of rock, the group have always exhibited a fun-loving attitude their audiences find irresistible.

Listen to “Bogus Operandi“:

The new album, however, comes at a loss: Randy Fitzsimmons, the band’s mysterious fictional mentor and sole songwriter, has apparently died. This new development in the self-scribed Hives backstory sees the limelight-shunning Fitzsimmons helping out beyond the grave, providing the remaining members with demo tapes, fresh suits and a title for the new record.

In honour of his memory, and to celebrate the release of The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons, The Hives recently performed a ceremonial gig at London’s Rough Trade East – the iconic independent  record shop and live music venue that has been hosting legendary shows since its 2007 opening – where they gave their sixth member a proper send-off. 

In true Hives fashion, the band pulled up outside the store in a customised hearse – complete with coffin and decorative flowers – in order to pay their respects to a man they claim to owe their entire discography to, before taking to the Rough Trade stage and bashing out their classic concoction of rock and roll swagger. The group then bid their final farewells in similar fashion at Banquet Records a day later. 

Check out The Hive’s unusual Rough Trade East entrance below:

@the.hives chat is this real? have they died? #thehives #thedeathofrandyfitzsimmons #rock #funeral ♬ original sound – monkemanpoo

The Hives first crashed onto the scene during the short-lived garage rock revival of the early 2000s, which saw rough-and-ready guitar bands such as The Strokes, The White Stripes and The Libertines achieve mainstream success with a gritty, punk-inspired sound. By the time The Hives had landed their first major hit with “Hate To Say I Told You So”, the group had been going for eight years.

Since then, they have sold out stadiums and shared stages with everyone from AC/DC to The Rolling Stones. Spin dubbed The Hives “the best live band on the planet” and Howlin’ Pelle, their lead singer, “one of the greatest frontmen in rock”, while the BBC described them as “a force of nature”.
The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons marks the long-awaited return for a group that has most recently been making waves as the frenetic support act for Arctic Monkeys on their European arena tour.

Next year, The Hives take their own show to 12 cities across the UK and Ireland.
See below for dates:

27/03/2024 – Leeds Academy – Leeds
28/03 – City Hall – Newcastle
29/03 – Rock City – Nottingham
30/03 – The Halls – Wolverhampton
01/04 – Barrowland – Glasgow
02/04 – O2 Academy – Bristol
03/04 – Brighton Dome – Brighton
05/04 – Great Hall – Cardiff
06/04 – Manchester Academy – Manchester
08/04 – Olympia – Dublin
10/04 – The LCR – Norwich
13/04 – Eventim Apollo – London

Get tickets here.

Listen to The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons here.