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The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
Studio album by
The Hives
Released11 August 2023 (2023-08-11)
Studio
  • Atlantis (Stockholm)
  • Riksmixningsverket (Stockholm)
  • Patrik's House (Stockholm)
Genre Garage rock [1] [2]
Length31:26
LabelDisques Hives
ProducerPatrik Berger
The Hives chronology
Lex Hives
(2012) 		The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
(2023)
Singles from The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
  1. "Bogus Operandi"
    Released: 2 May 2023
  2. "Countdown to Shutdown"
    Released: 13 June 2023
  3. "Rigor Mortis Radio"
    Released: 11 July 2023
  4. "Trapdoor Solution" / "The Bomb"
    Released: 1 August 2023

The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is the sixth studio album by Swedish rock band The Hives, released on 11 August 2023 through the band's Disques Hives label. The album marks the first studio release in over 11 years, since 2012's Lex Hives, marking the longest gap between two Hives albums.

Background

The album was recorded in a studio owned by ABBA member Benny Anderson in Stockholm. [3] Announced on 2 May 2023, [4] the day also saw the release of the first single "Bogus Operandi". The trademark "suave sound" fizzling with "wild energy" of the song was seen as setting the tone for the whole project. [5] According to Rolling Stone, the album is a "a collection of 12 high-energy punk-ish songs reminiscent of their best work from the early 2000s". [3] Lead singer Pelle Almqvist reflected on the intention of the record, saying, "Rock'n'roll can't grow up, it is a perpetual teenager and this album feels exactly like that". [6] According to a press release, the "macabre title" hints at the extended break the band took from recording, described as a "horror story". [7] "Randy Fitzsimmons" refers to the fictional sixth member of the Hives who supposedly served as the band's manager and sole songwriter. [8]

The album is the first release to feature bassist The Johan and Only, following the departure of Dr. Matt Destruction in 2013. [8] The band had several headlining shows in New York and California in early May 2023, following that by supporting Arctic Monkeys on a UK stadium tour starting on 27 May 2023. [9] [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10 [11]
Metacritic77/100 [12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [13]
American Songwriter [14]
DIY [15]
Exclaim!8/10 [16]
The Guardian [17]
The Line of Best Fit7/10 [1]
Mojo [18]
NME [19]
Pitchfork6.9/10 [20]
The Skinny [21]

The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons received a score of 77 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 14 critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. [12] In a five-star review, Logan Walker of The Skinny described the album as "a breathless exercise in how rock music should be played. It's fun, frenetic, and full to the brim with that trademark Hives humour". [21] Elliot Burr of The Line of Best Fit felt that "there's more life in these elder statesmen yet, despite the ironic deathly connotations that abound" and called the Hives "the whirling dervish we've enjoyed for decades, having brewed another storm when music needs a serious injection of fun again". [1] Peyton Thomas of Pitchfork remarked that "none of the Hives' brethren in the garage revival would ever risk sounding this stupid" but that the band "refuse to evolve or age—they are here for a good time and absolutely nothing else". [20]

Uncut wrote that "it's back-to-basics good fun garage rock, and while it's familiar territory it's undeniable that the band know their way around a hook", [2] while Mojo felt that "over 12 mostly blueprint-hugging songs returns diminish, but scuzzy beat-box disco outrider 'What Did I Ever Do to You?' is great". [18]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Howlin' Pelle Almqvist; all music is composed by Chip Fitzsimmons, Montgomery Fitzsimmons, Randy Fitzsimmons, and Wilbur Fitzsimmons

The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Bogus Operandi"3:43
2."Trapdoor Solution"1:03
3."Countdown to Shutdown"3:13
4."Rigor Mortis Radio"2:28
5."Stick Up"2:19
6."Smoke & Mirrors"3:01
7."Crash Into the Weekend"2:58
8."Two Kinds of Trouble"2:44
9."The Way the Story Goes"2:56
10."The Bomb"2:13
11."What Did I Ever Do to You?"3:09
12."Step Out of the Way"1:39
Total length:31:26

Personnel

The Hives

Additional contributors

Charts

Chart performance for The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums ( ARIA) [22] 61
Austrian Albums ( Ö3 Austria) [23] 54
Belgian Albums ( Ultratop Flanders) [24] 64
Belgian Albums ( Ultratop Wallonia) [25] 20
Finnish Albums ( Suomen virallinen lista) [26] 15
French Albums ( SNEP) [27] 39
German Albums ( Offizielle Top 100) [28] 8
Scottish Albums ( OCC) [29] 2
Spanish Albums ( PROMUSICAE) [30] 94
Swedish Albums ( Sverigetopplistan) [31] 1
Swiss Albums ( Schweizer Hitparade) [32] 9
UK Albums ( OCC) [33] 2
UK Independent Albums ( OCC) [34] 1
US Independent Albums ( Billboard) [35] 49

References

  1. ^ a b c Burr, Elliot (8 August 2023). "The Hives: The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons Review – rock thrills again". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons". Uncut. September 2023. p. 28.
  3. ^ a b Greene, Andy (4 May 2023). "The Hives Survive: Inside the Swedish Garage-Rockers' First Album in 11 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  4. ^ Rigotti, Alex (2 May 2023). "The hives return with new album 'The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons'". DIY. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  5. ^ "The Hives return with new album 'The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons' & release video for new single 'Bogus Operandi'". XS Noize. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  6. ^ Ingle, Alex (3 May 2023). "The Hives are back with a new album, 'The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons'". Dork. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  7. ^ Geraghty, Hollie (2 May 2023). "The Hives announce first new album in over a decade and share single 'Bogus Operandi'". NME. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b Golsen, Tyler (2 May 2023). "The Hives announce new album 'The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons'". Far Out. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  9. ^ Anderson, Carys (2 May 2023). "The Hives Announce Comeback Album The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, Share "Bogus Operandi": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  10. ^ Brodski, Rachel (2 May 2023). "The Hives – "Bogus Operandi"". Stereogum. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  11. ^ "The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons by The Hives". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b "The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons by The Hives Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  13. ^ Phares, Heather. "The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  14. ^ Horowitz, Hal (11 August 2023). "Review: The Buzz is on as The Hives Deliver a Stinging Return". American Songwriter. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  15. ^ Goggins, Joe (10 August 2023). "The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons". DIY. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  16. ^ Glasgow, Isabel (10 August 2023). "The Hives Resurrect Themselves on The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons". Exclaim!. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  17. ^ Hawthorne, Katie (11 August 2023). "The Hives: The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons review – Swedish rockers are back, louder and faster than ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  18. ^ a b "The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons". Mojo. September 2023. p. 86.
  19. ^ Shah, Rishi (10 August 2023). "The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons review: party rock that doesn't mess about". NME. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  20. ^ a b Thomas, Peyton (15 August 2023). "The Hives: The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  21. ^ a b Walker, Logan (8 August 2023). "The Hives review: The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons". The Skinny. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  22. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 21 August 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1746. Australian Recording Industry Association. 21 August 2023. p. 6.
  23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  26. ^ " The Hives: The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  27. ^ "Top Albums (Week 33, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Veckolista Album, vecka 33". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  34. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  35. ^ "The Hives Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
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