The Hives Return After 11 Years With New Album + Song 'Bogus Operandi' [DETAILS]

The Hives is a Swedish rock band that has not been active for over a decade. What made them want to suddenly release a new album?

Apparently, the band has been meaning to drop their sixth studio album titled "The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons" for several years now.

According to Consequence of Sound, the album is slated to drop on Aug. 11, in several formats like digital, CD, and vinyl, as well as a glow-in-the-dark version of the vinyl.

When asked what will the sound of the upcoming album will be like, the answer was pretty simple and straightforward: exactly how they did music back then.

"There's no maturity or anything like that bulls**t," said Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, the frontman of the band. "Because who the f**k wants mature rock'n'roll?"

The Hives

The Hives first came into prominence in the early 2000s while the revival of garage rock was in full swing.

Since then, the genre has mellowed down as people began to favor other types of music, which also probably contributed to the band's long-term hiatus from releasing music.

"That's literally taking the good s**t out of it. Rock'n'roll can't grow up, it is a perpetual teenager and this album feels exactly like that, which it's all down to our excitement - and you can't fake that s**t."

While fans would have to wait a little longer for "The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons," The Hives also dropped a single from the album to give fans a glimpse of what they can expect from the long-awaited album.

The song, "Bogus Operandi," is accompanied with a horror-themed music video which was directed by Aube Perrie, the same genius behind some of the most iconic music videos of Harry Styles and Megan Thee Stallion.

'The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons'

The odd title of the upcoming album is a reference to The Hives' "founder, mentor and songwriter, the perpetual limelight-shunning Randy Fitzsimmons."

It should be noted, however, that Randy Fitzsimmons is a fictional character who is deeply rooted within the band's lore. Additionally, the name is a registered pseudonym for The Hives' lead guitarist Niklas Almqvist.

The press release for the album reads: "Following the recent discovery of a hidden away obituary and cryptic poem in the local paper of the Northern Vastmanland town where The Hives are from, the band members were led to Fitzsimmons' tombstone."

"[...] Whether a hoax or Fitzsimmons' opening gambit, remains to be seen. The uncovered tapes included the demos that would become the twelve new songs on The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons."

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New Album