For the last Pick Of The Day of 2025 we return to Swedish punk dropouts THE HIVES who scored best track of the year in Turn Up The Volume‘s
end-of-the-year list with THE HIVES FOREVER, FOREVER THE HIVES.
The title song from their 7th full-length,
which hit the streets last August.
And it went like this.
The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
Angus Rogers (frontman): “Rock and roll music for the empty and stunning.
A song about contempt, appetite, impotence and self-preservation through
gyration. Enjoy superficially with your body and send the reeling mind on
to hell.”
TUTV: Wham Bam! Yeah Yeah! Go Go! Oh my Oh My! Razzle Dazzle!
This is the kind of adrenaline-pumping thrills I wait impatiently for
every single day.
Get up, stand up, and fight
for your right to show off.
“‘Although it’s a big, joyous dance track, it’s about hiding deep emotional pain and trauma and how hedonistic coping mechanisms, like drugs, alcohol, and womanizing, are just temporary distractions.”
TUTV: This is what amazing pop-ular music is all about. Big melody, big emotions, big orchestration. Euphorically sticky as first-class glue despite its dramatic ‘real life‘ story. Aftermath soul-searching can work cathartically.
Who: Irish post-punk whirlwind, led by charismatic
voice/songwriter/guitarist Karla Chubb.
Track: BETTER
Along with Something’s Gonna Happen, my top fav track
on their brand new, second LP, called All That Is Over.
TUTV: Every time I play this pure punk-rock gem, I feel way better.
It’s striking swagger, superb groove, passionate duet vocals, and
high-strung guitar play mesmerize.
Who: The moniker of Massachusetts‘ chilling singer-songwriter Izzy Hagerup. She released her debut album Through The Window
in 2023.
Track: SYSTEM
First new piece and title track from her
2nd LP, coming our way on October 3rd.
Hagerup: “When I wrote ‘System’ I was supposed to be present and alive
and gracious and happy. But somehow I couldn’t escape my own internal
fears and depression that can follow me wherever I go.”
TUTV: What a brilliant torch song. Weeping guitars come and go while Hagerup‘s heart-stopping vocals cause goosebumps. And what a fuming
finale.
TUTV: Its ominous mid-tempo dynamics, its distorted vocals, and its riff-psychotic razzmatazz resonate as if you are listening to the scary theme song of a horror movie.
At the 2.30 minute mark, all hell breaks loose.
From a whisper to a scream. From planet Earth
to Dante‘s Inferno.
Track: FOUR
One of the highlights from their
brill 2nd LP Never Exhale
TUTV: Ditz operate in a very dark place. Sonically, as well as lyrically.
In the middle Cal Francis barks at the moon, while dense drones
infiltrate your shocked ears. Inhale, exhale.
TUTV: This 4-piece grab you by the throat from the kick-off and never lose their firm grip, while vociferous vocalist Marie De Graeve‘s has a crushing impact on your petrified stereo. Liar is a titanic motherrocker that pulverizes the Richter scale in just 250 seconds. Queens Of The Stone Age, Deftones and Black Sabbath come to mind.
TUTV: OMG! What a riot-gun banger. These Irishmen create suffocating havoc with
a maddening mix of nasty racket that brings illegal-decibels-producing bands such as
NIN and Metz to my cooking mind.
TUTV: Ecstasy. Elation. Euphoria. Exhilaration. This electro smack makes
you bounce and jump on your pogo-stick. They punch you in the teeth
without asking, while having fervent fun.
Who: Belgian noise rock trio whose sound draws influences from bands such
as Black Midi, Tool, Battles, and Swans, blending dissonance with a strong sense
of identity.
Track: NANDOR
Piece from their ace
3rd album Trois.
TUTV: What the fuck! From the very kick-off, chainsaw guitars do your
brain in. Electric chair electricity throughout. No way to escape. Neurotic
vocals complete this blitzkrieg assault.
Band: DOWN THE LEES Who: The post-rock noise project of seasoned Canadian
singer/songwriter/guitarist Laura Lee Schultz. DTL released
3 notable albums, so far.
Track: MIDI DORIC
First single. A song that deals with the
isolation and depression of the pandemic.
TUTV: A characteristic DTL thunderstorm, cranked up by blustery bass lines,
monstrous guitar riffs, Herculean drumming, Schultz‘s sky-scraping vocals and
a volcanic finale. One of the best noizz rock bands around.
TUTV: It’s a sublime, crystalline pop nugget, with its hypnotizing guitar riff,
the non-stop drum beat and the intertwined, spellbinding vocals of Win Butler
and his spouse, Régine Chassagne.
Band: KASABIAN Who: British star rockers from Leicester. One of the best bands
of the past 25 years on record and on stage, in my book.
Track:HIPPIE SUNSHINE.
Lead single from their forthcoming
9th LP. Details TBA.
TUTV: Expect a mega vitalizing, disco-charged haymaker.
Since co-founder/songwriter/frontman Serge Pizzorno pulls
all the band’s strings, he provides dynamite tunes you can
throw 24-hour parties with.
Who: One of the most adventurous/inventive/original post-punk & dub artists/performers
ever. He was a founding member of genre-bending new wave group The Pop Group and released lots of solo and collaborative records. Unfortunately, he passed away 2 years ago,
only 62.
Track: MEMORY OF YOU
Single from Stewart‘s solo album The Fateful Symmetry,
which was completed early 2023, not long before his passing.
TUTV: Haunting, synth-symphonic and bang-tastic,
with Mark‘s characteristically energetic voice on top.
First single from their forthcoming 4th full-length, their
first in 4 years, slated for release in September 2026.
TUTV: Holy Coves are back, and they don’t waste time. It’s full steam ahead from
the get-go. Eager guitars and sinewy drumming inject this sweltering steamroller with
a flaming briskness that causes a kinetic reverberation, while Marsden emotive vocals accentuate the song’s sad sentiments.
Who: 2-piece from Birmingham (UK) – Euan Woodman (drums/vocals) and Tom Rhodes (bass/vocals) – born in late 2023 over a shared love of noise, literature and late night shebeens. They write music about love and hate. They’re good for your soul.
TUTV: Warning. This insanely groovy punk blast will bulldoze all over your shocked speakers. Expect a superheated funky firestorm that attacks the Richter scale with a shattering impact. A manically jagged jackhammer it is. Trust me, you’ll think you like them, VERY MUCH, while you bang your head into your fridge’s door.
Who: A collective with members scattered across the UK and the Netherlands.
This group, now comprising seven members, has its roots in a trio that expanded
over the past four years.
New track: WET LEATHER
Piece from their sophomore
LP Total Technik.
TUTV: Kraut-rock and roll with an intoxicating force. A wall-of-guitar-pyrotechnics rollercoaster. An overpowering tempest of rambunctious riffs. Voltaic psychedelia
at its spine-chilling best, bombarding your ears the way you like it.
Who: The musical project of singer-songwriter-poet Jamie Cameron. Hailing from
the Scottish Borders, the music blends lo-fi beats, synths and guitars with spoken word lyrics in which he discusses subjects ranging from politics and premonitions to self help culture, and a modern society obsessed with economic thinking.
TUTV: This rattling rap ‘n’ punk roll crackerjack swings forth and back, left
and right and Jamie Cameron’s full of vim and vigour word-flow activates all
of your insatiable limbs before he relaxes towards the synthy end. Kinetic throb.
Hands up for the coach.
TUTV: A nasty bass riff motorizes this rollicking psych jam that seems to go on
like forever, and when the powerhouse chorus kicks in, your ears are instantly
overwhelmed. Life Is Joy is one of those riff-crazy haymakers that stick after just
Who: Mysterious trio with an inimitable take on
humanity’s downward spiral into a dysfunctional
entropic existence. They unleashed their punk-groovy
debut EP Like You last year.
TUTV: This arresting, melancholic song is heart-rending. Its bluesy guitar
radiance, its bass-beat-heavy cadence, and despondent vocals get under
your skin. Its melodic catchiness has irresistible written all over it.
TUTV: A razzle-dazzle steamroller that gets under your skin faster
than you can say “this is bloody superb”. Its insane, mind-bending
course doubles your serotonin production on the spot.
Who: Must hear/see indies from Brighton (where everybody is in a band).
They cruise from folk to punk, using, besides traditional instruments (guitar,
bass and drums) also cello, flute, violin and other classical gear.
TUTV: These young wolves bulldoze their way through the daily
bullshit we have to endure with a knife between their teeth. Sippy Cup
is a bruising, full of vim and vigor, uppercut hitting where it hurts.
Artist: PREWN Who: The moniker of Massachusetts‘ chilling singer-songwriter Izzy Hagerup. She released her debut album Through The Window
in 2023.
Track: SYSTEM
First new piece and title track from her
2nd LP, coming our way on October 3rd.
TUTV: What a brilliant torch song. Feverish tension all the way, drawing you into a mesmerizing trance you want to last like forever. Weeping guitars come and go while Hagerup‘s heart-stopping vocals are immensely soul-stirring and a galvanic guitar solo causes a spine-tingling finale.
Band: KID KAPICHI Who: From 4 to 2 party punk rockers from Hastings, UK.
They have, so far, 3 albums on their résumé, so far, with
last year’s There Goes The Neighbourhood as the most
recent one.
TUTV: Beth said she wanted to make a LOUD record. And she
definitely did. High Resolution Sadness is one hell of a brain-breaking,
industrial sledgehammer example. Hyperkinetic drums, clashing and
crashing percussion and creepy vocals. Bang-on!
Band: WIJF. (WIFE. in English)
Who: Hungry hit team from Belgium,
ready to take on the world.
Track:LIAR
Only their 2nd single, following last
year’s unhinged debut Hysterical.
Single artwork
TUTV: The 4-piece grab you by the throat from the kick-off and never lose their firm grip. Liar is a titanic motherrocker that pulverizes the Richter scale in just 250 seconds. Queens Of The Stone Age would label this jiving juggernaut a ‘song for the deaf‘.
Vociferous vocalist Marie De Graeve is seemingly on an exorcistic trip again.
Her one-of-a-kind vocal cords have a ruthless impact on your petrified stereo.
Helter-skelter. Hail! Hail!
Band: AFI (abbreviation for A Fire Inside) Who: Weathered high-volume veteran rockers from Ukiah, California who started to turn up the sonic heat
in 1991.
Artist: BAMBIE THUG Who: Moniker for Irish screamo diva Cuntry Ray Robinson. A self-described queer,
‘ouija popstar’, who uses the non-binary personal pronouns they and them. She
released her cacophonous debut LP Cathexis in 2023.
“It’s political, it’s anti-war, it’s a ‘rebel cry’ for the LGBTQIA community and for everyone
who is fed up with living in this disconnected world. All I can offer to these turbulent times
is my art and hope it wakes people up.”
Band: SNÕÕPER Who:Nashville‘s kamikaze pop punk combo SNÕÕPER shook the world
2 years ago, with their rapid-fire debut LP Super Snõõper. 14 songs in
22 minutes, like in the good old Ramones days.
Last June, they dropped a 4-track EP, titled Unknown Caller.
Track: GUARD DOG.
New piece from their upcoming, sophomore album,
titled Worldwide. it will see the day of light on Oct 3rd
via Jack White’s Third Man Records.
Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Brussels, May 18, 2025
TUTV: If this supersonic punk missile won’t wake
you up, I don’t know what will. Get up on your pogo
stick and bounce like a ping pong ball.
Track: HEY YOU
New single from their upcoming 2nd LP,
called Again, out on October 31st.
TUTV: A titillating tune that thrives on high-speed guitar riffs, a fast-track
drum beat, sharply-etched vocals and last but not least, a stream of adrenalin.
Artist: VINCE BELLO Who: Oshawa-based indie singer-songwriter rocker Vince Bello shared his newest single “Small Town Princess”, on Friday, August 8th, the title track of his upcoming EP of the same name, releasing in November 2025.
Track: SMALL TOWN PRINCESS
The title track of his upcoming EP,
that will land in November 2025.
A bold new chapter for Bello – one that captures the push and pull
between chasing your dreams and remembering where you came from.
TUTV: This instantly sticking guitar-synth pop earworm puts a smile on your face right away. Its bewitching and delighting flow gets you hooked after one spin. Sonic pearl.
The song distills the previous years’ experience and truly steps into themselves and their sound as a band. The song brings together the band’s vast array of influences pulling from the emo-pop of Paramore to the indie hip sway groove of Two Door Cinema Club to the post-hardcore energy of Movements.
TUTV: Layers of shoegazy guitars, a steadfast beat, intense and
highly impassionate, alternating vocals combine for a captivating
and febrile jam. Wowzers.
Band: SOULWAX Who: Belgian brothers David and Stephen Dewaele‘s outfit for 30 years
now, next to their other projects. They DJed the world around as 2manydjs,
had their own Radio Soulwax, and produced/remixed countless other artists.
A heartfelt tribute to real love, written with
his wife and creative partner, Frances.
TUTV: Winsome love songs like this one are so welcome in these intolerant times,
so we won’t forget there are also great things happening every day when love is
involved. Feet On The Ground has an irresistible funky bass groove and is juiced with
a soulful orchestration.
Add Thomaz‘s warmhearted voice, and the inspiring, sonic
picture is complete. Jaunty tune, frolicsome vibe, feel-good
sentiments.
Band:MY MORNING JACKET Who: Louisville‘s veteran rockers who will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their fourth full-length, called Z on October 4th. The day before, they will release a deluxe anniversary.
Artwork Z
Track: WHERE TO BEGIN
A previously unreleased song from
the anniversary album Z.
TUTV: A ballad that breathes melancholia at its most gripping,
with warm pedal steel play. One of the most heart-and-soul touching reveries
I heard all year long.
Leandra Earl (guitars, keyboards, songwriter) “It’s about the shame I felt coming out later in life and the pressure of trying to live up to ‘Lesbian Of The Year,’ a title given to me by my sweet fans. I feel regret for not knowing myself sooner, but this song is also about the journey of self discovery & sexual identity and accepting that everyone is on their own timeline and we’ll get there when we get there.”
TUTV: This stirring reverie has a 60s romantic retro feel, both
ardent and cathartic, carried by emotive vocals. Gorgeous.
Kerrang says: “The Hives are like an endless circle of rock’n’roll celebration.
As with all their albums, this one dresses repeated formulas in different clothes,
cool clothes obviously, but doing enough to keep excitement levels high.
The Hives have been around a quarter of a century. So while they’re nobody’s
new favourite band now, good luck in finding an old one that’s this much fun.”
TUTV: Another Hives record, another Hives by numbers one. It will not change
my opinion on these reckless Swedish veteran punks. An exhilarative live band
(saw them several times), but a middle-of-the-road one on record, repeating
themselves over and over again. Fortunately, they have chief-comedian Pelle
to distract the fans. Without him, no fun whatsoever.
Mind you, I can compile a greatest hits album with about 15 superior tunes,
but out of 7 LPs that’s not enough for my liking. As usual, their singles are the
best tracks (except ‘Legalize Living’), and were and will be on my headphones
for a while. The Hives sometimes, sometimes The Hives.
Singles: Enough Is Enough / Paint A Picture / The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
Beastie boy Mike D and Queens Of The Stone Age
frontman Josh Homme guest on the record.
With the title track the rad rockers present us the 4th single (stream all below).
Without a doubt, the best (so far). Pop-ier (sort of) than the others. Mind you
there are still enough rip-roaring riffs to share with the whole neighborhood.
And the cooking chorus is on-target.
Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine
9 July 2025
As all fans know for a while now their Swedish punk wackos THE HIVES
canned their 7th album, called it The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
and will catapult it our way on 29th August. More infohere.
Beastie boy Mike D and Queens Of The Stone Age
frontman Josh Homme guest on the record.
Press info: “Have you ever felt as though life is strangling you a little bit every day?
Like a tight rollneck or the hands of an invisible garden gnome? Do you feel like they
are putting you in ever smaller cages and on ever tighter schedules? Are you relating
to Michael Douglas in Falling Down?
You are not crazy! Governments all over the world have slowly but surely taken steps
to make living itself illegal. Stop normalizing this normalization! Join The Hives in the
campaign for the legalization of living across all countries! Things must change now!.”
As communicated earlier on Swedish rock ‘n’ punk roll dropouts THE HIVES are back to be your new favourite band once again. They bagged their 7th album, named it THE HIVES FOREVER, FOREVER THE HIVES and it will crash our speakers on 29th August. More infohere.
Press info: “Lauded on all continents for their masterful skill and reckless abandon in the rock music field, have once again, sooner than you expected, created a new body of work the likes of which have never been heard or indeed probably will again. A new record so full of energy, joy, anger and life that you will be questioning reality as you have known it. They finally did it. Every single song a single, every single a hit, every hit a direct hit in the face of the man.”
Beastie boy Mike D and Queens Of The Stone Age
frontmanJosh Homme guest on the record.
Following the smoking lead-single Never Enough the punk cowboys come up with another whopper, called PAINT A PICTURE. It’s The Hives by numbers, fast and furious numbers as we are used to.
Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine
2 April 2025
Swedish rock ‘n’ punk roll madcaps THE HIVES are back to be your new favourite band. They canned their 7th full length, baptized THE HIVES FOREVER, FOREVER THE HIVES.
It’ll land on your speakers on 29th August. More infohere.
Press info: “Lauded on all continents for their masterful skill and reckless abandon in the rock music field, have once again, sooner than you expected, created a new body of work the likes of which have never been heard or indeed probably will again.. A new record so full of energy, joy, anger and life that you will be questioning reality as you have known it. They finally did it. Every single song a single, every single a hit, every hit a direct hit in the face of the man.”
Beastie Boy Mike D and Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme both contributed in unspecified ways.
“It got picked as a single really early when there were demos because our manager thought it would sell concert tickets,” the frontman told us. “They wanted to release that first because it’s got a big riff and it’s a perfect tempo for a crowd to jump up and down. It got picked so early when the other songs weren’t done, but I really like how it starts: ‘Everyone’s a little fucking bitch…’ That’s as close to political commentary as you’re gonna get! Basically, ‘Fuck both sides’.”
“Everyone’s a lil fuckin’ bitch!
And I’m gettin’ sick and tired of it!”
Wake up people, and watch boxer
star Howlin’ Pelle hit left and right.
