Still dressed entirely in black and white, still trading under ludicrous stage names such as Chris Dangerous and Vigilante Carlstroem, and still making high-kicking punk rock that avoids any hint of musical maturity despite the fact that they’re now in their mid-forties, The Hives are nothing if not committed.
Another tenet the Swedish band have held to since they started in the late Nineties is the idea that all their songs are written by a mysterious sixth member called Randy Fitzsimmons, who has never been seen. Well now it’s RIP Randy. This sixth album, their first for 11 years, arrives accompanied by a shaggy dog story that includes a local newspaper obituary, a cryptic treasure hunt and an empty grave containing new suits and demos of 12 new songs.
