2000s Rock Band Dropping First New Album in 11 Years
Swedish garage rock The Hives are stepping back into the music scene. More than a decade after they last released new music, The Hives announced on May 2 that their first studio album in 11 years, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, releases on Friday, Aug. 11 via FUGA. In support of the upcoming album, the band will also embark on a North American tour this fall.
The group, which consists of Howlin' Pelle, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Vigilante Carlstroem, and The Johan and Only, shared the exciting news with fans on social media earlier this month, confirming, "The Hives soon to be award winning new album THE DEATH OF RANDY FITZSIMMONS out August 11th." According to the Brooklyn Vegan, the title of the upcoming album refers to The Hives' elusive manager and songwriter, who they say hasn't been seen since 2012's Lex Hives. The first single from the album, "Bogus Operandi," has already been released alongside a music video directed by Aube Perrie. The remainder of the songs on the album includes "Trapdoor Solution," "Countdown To Shutdown," "Rigor Mortis Radio," Stick Up," "Smoke & Mirrors," "Crash Into The Weekend," "Two Kinds Of Trouble," "The Way The Story Goes," "The Bomb," "What Did I Ever Do To You?," and "Step Out Of The Way."
"There's no maturity or anything like that bulls—, because who the f— wants mature rock'n'roll? That's always where people go wrong," Pelle said of the album. "I feel. 'It's like rock'n'roll but adult,' nobody wants that! That's literally taking the good shit 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—."
In addition to new music, The Hives are also set to embark on a multi-city North American tour, with the band telling fans, "The time has come to once again make our triumphant return to those United States of America. Following the imminent success of our not-yet-released-soon-to-be-award-winning-new-album The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons we will play only these dates in only these cities."
The Hives' North American tour kicks off in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 30, with additional shows scheduled in Washington, D.C., Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, Seattle, and Vancouver, among others, before the tour wraps in Los Angeles on Nov. 14. The band is also set to play a string of shows across Europe leading into the North American tour.