From experimenting with hardcore punk to enlisting some of the biggest producers in pop, The Hives are like chameleons, continuously adapting their direction.
And their latest album, Lex Hives, blends overtones of glam rock with their signature sound. “This is the first time we've ever used horns on a record,” guitarist Nicholaus Arson explains. “This is the first time we've put some sort of concrete hymn on a record … and it's the first time we've experimented with glam rock. A lot of the recording was also experimental — we recorded organs to ventilation shafts.”
If Tyrannosaurus Hives was “an honest attempt at selling out,” then how does the band define Lex Hives?
“An honest attempt at selling records,” Arson laughs. “It's basically The Hives doing exactly what The Hives want to do, and I don't see that as being anything other than being as honest as possible. It feels like we made two records in a row that were an attempt at selling out even though I don't think that was the case, but Lex Hives [is] … as much hardcore Hives as you can cram onto one record. That's why there's only 12 songs on it because people cannot take more Hives than that within an hour.”
Lex Hives also sees The Hives seizing complete control of their music – self-producing the album and giving their former major record label the flick.
“When we were signed to Interscope we had a good record deal and I think they thought we were too expensive to keep. You can't put a price on The Hives, but I think they wanted to release us [after] those records because they don't really do rock 'n' roll. They don't have a firm enough belief in rock 'n' roll for them to be the horse that you would bet on because they make their money on pop music.”
And like the cast of a Broadway spectacle slipping into different costumes between acts, The Hives adopt new onstage attire for each release — this time it's top hats and tails. But for Arson, it's more like transforming into a superhero.
“The sort of energy you get from switching into gear is like being Superman — you switch into your gear and you go from being Clark Kent to being Superman.”
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The Hives Australian Tour Dates
Fri Dec 28 - Tue Jan 1 — Falls Festival (Lorne, Victoria)Sat Dec 29 - Tue Jan 1 — Falls Festival (Marion Bay, Tasmania)
Wed Jan 02 — The Tivoli (Brisbane)
Fri Jan 04 — Southbound Festival (Busselton, Western Australia)
Sun Jan 06 — The Forum (Melbourne)
Mon Jan 07 — The Metro (Sydney)
Lex Hives is out now.
