The Hives

Interview, Sept, 2004 by Dimitri Ehrlich

THE HIVES Tyrannosaurus Hives (Interscope)

Context counts. Three years ago, when the White Stripes and the Strokes were riding the wave of a raw, stripped-down rock revival, the excitement of hearing the Hives was clue at least in part to the refreshing sound of their triple assault of screamed vocals, nasty guitars, and tribal drums. But on this follow-up to 2000's Veni Vidi Vicious, with their ebullient no-frills garage rock showing few signs of evolution, the Hives are starting to sound like the drunk guy from last night's party: still thrashing around while every one else is getting a hangover.