R.I.P Randy Fitzsimons

August 11th 2023, The Hives return with there first album in 11 years.  
‘The Death of Randy Fitzsimons’

What took them so long to release a new album?

Well… the mastermind behind the whole thing. Is now dead.  He wrote all of the songs. This fictional character was allegedly the main man behind the whole of The Hives discography. Now as with everything the band do. It’s important not to take it too seriously.

One thing worth taking seriously though is the record! It’s a very good album. Early singles ‘Bogus Operandi’ and ‘Countdown to Shutdown’ gave fans a taster. U.K. fans got more than a taster when the band went out on the road with rock legends Arctic Monkeys this summer.

It allowed the super Swedes to show just what they could do, and I can sit here now and say the album doesn’t disappoint. Playful, instinctive and juvenile. This is a band who don’t want to make grown up music. A Hives album is meant to be silly and fun.

The band were away for a while but they picked up where they left off. Dusted off the old black and white suits. The fun and goofy side of the bad well they never lost that. Although they took a break from recording, they have become one of the worlds best live bands. They took that live energy and put it into a record.

In these times the world needed The Hives, and their goofiness. They’ve done themselves proud. And I’m sure they’ve made Randy Fitzsimons proud too.