The Hives have readied The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, their first studio album in over 10 years. The Swedish rockers will drop the LP on August 11th; today, they’ve shared lead single, “Bogus Operandi.” Check it out below.
The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons has just the type of absurd origin story you’d expect from The Hives. In a press release, the band claim that they haven’t heard from the titular character — the elusive “founder, mentor and songwriter” who started the group 30 years ago — since they released their last album, 2012’s Lex Hives. Recently, they found an obituary that led them to Fitzsimmons’ tombstone; only, upon digging, they found not a corpse, but demo tapes and a piece of paper plotting The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons.
Meanwhile, Hives frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist had this to say about the album: “There’s no maturity or anything like that bullshit, because who the fuck wants mature rock’n’roll? That’s always where people go wrong, 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 shit.”
Produced by Patrik Berger (Lana Del Rey, Robyn, Charli XCX), The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons marks The Hives’ first album since The Johan And Only replaced bassist Dr. Matt Destruction. The record will be available digitally and on CD and vinyl, with a glow-in-the-dark vinyl and poster on sale via the band’s webstore. Additionally, those who pre-order the LP will receive access to a May 10th pre-sale for The Hives’ June 13th show at The Garage in London.
Latest offering “Bogus Operandi” opens with monumental power chords before The Hives kick into frenetic, almost metal-inspired guitar. The track comes with a gory music video directed by Aube Perrie that you can watch below, followed by the album’s artwork and tracklist.
The Hives have a handful of headlining shows coming up in New York and California before they open up for Arctic Monkeys on their UK/Europe tour. See their full tour itinerary below, and grab tickets via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons Artwork:
The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons Tracklist:
01. Bogus Operandi
02. Trapdoor Solution
03. Countdown to Shutdown
04. Rigor Mortis Radio
05. Stick Up
06. Smoke & Mirrors
07. Crash Into the Weekend
08. Two Kinds of Trouble
09. The Way the Story Goes
10. The Bomb
11. What Did I Ever Do to You?
12. Step Out of the Way
The Hives 2023 Tour Dates:
05/09 — Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
05/11 — Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
05/16 — New York, NY @ Racket NYC
05/27 — Leeds, UK @ Temple Newsam *
05/29 — Bristol, UK @ Ashton Gate *
05/30 — Bristol, UK @ The Fleece w/ Rough Trade
05/31 — Conventry, UK @ Ricoh Arena *
06/02 — Manchester, UK @ Old Trafford Cricket Ground *
06/03 — Manchester, UK @ Emirates Old Trafford *
06/05 — Middlesbrough, UK @ Middlesbrough FC *
06/06 -0 London, UK @ PRYZM w/ Banquet Records
06/07 — Norwich, UK @ Carrow Road Stadium *
06/09 — Sheffield, UK @ Hillsborough Park *
06/10 — Sheffield, UK @ Hillsborough Park *
06/12 — Swansea, UK @ Liberty Stadium *
06/13 — London, UK @ The Garage
06/14 — Southhampton, UK @ The Ageas Bowl *
06/16 — London, UK @ Emirates Stadium *
06/17 — London, UK @ Emirates Stadium *
06/18 — London, UK @ Emirates Stadium *
06/20 — Dublin, IE @ Marlay Park *
06/22 — Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Room w/ Rough Trade
06/25 — Glasgow, UK @ Bellahousten Park *
07/15 — Milano, IT @ Ippodromo Del Galoppo Di San Siro
07/16 — Roma, IT @ Ippodromo Capannelle *
07/18 — Athens, GR @ Water Square *
07/19 — Athens, GR @ Plateia Nerou *
08/04 — Göteborg, SE @ Banana Pier
08/05 — Malmö, SE @ Mölleplatsen
08/18 — Rättvik, SE @ Dalhalla
08/19 — Rättvik, SE @ Dalhalla
08/25 — Vången, NO @ Vangen Festivalen
08/26 — Tønsberg, NO @ Foynhagen
* = w/ Arctic Monkeys
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