The Hives The Hives Forever Forever The Hives
The Hives' The Hives Forever Forever The Hives arrives as a short, combustible blast of garage-punk spectacle that channels anti-authority anger into arena-ready hooks and unabashed celebration. Across five professional reviews critics consistently point to the record's ferocious immediacy and Pelle Almqvist's barking delivery as the engine driving its best songs, with “Enough Is Enough”, the title track “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives” and “O.C.D.O.D.” repeatedly named among the standouts.
The critical consensus, reflected in an 83/100 score across five reviews, praises the album's raw exuberance, retro riffs and relentless two-minute assaults as proof of The Hives' longevity and knack for arena-sized bravado. Reviewers note how concise, high-velocity tracks - from the jackhammer sleaze of “Born A Rebel” to the sprinting intensity of “O.C.D.O.D.” - turn political commentary and social critique into chantable refrains, while production collaborations add just enough modern sheen without blunting the garage-punk revival spirit. Critics consistently highlight the record's formulaic consistency as both a strength - delivering reliably anthemic singles - and a limitation for those seeking reinvention.
While some write-ups frame the collection as celebratory and revitalising, others register that the band prioritizes salvo after salvo of familiar moves rather than riskier departures. Taken together, the reviews suggest that The Hives Forever Forever The Hives is a high-energy reaffirmation of The Hives' identity: short on subtlety, long on hooks, and worth the listen for anyone wondering whether the album is good or which are the best songs on the record. Detailed reviews below unpack where those standout tracks sit in the band's catalogue and why critics agree the record is an emphatic, crowd-ready statement of intent.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Enough Is Enough
5 mentions
"Enough Is Enough, Born A Rebel and the victorious war chant of the title track all sound like they coulda been on 2000’s Veni Vidi Vicious"— Classic Rock Magazine
The Hives Forever Forever The Hives
4 mentions
"the victorious war chant of the title track"— Classic Rock Magazine
O.C.D.O.D.
3 mentions
"OCDOD is all Stooges deathtrip (‘ Can’t call God on the phone, I feel so all alone ’)"— Classic Rock Magazine
Enough Is Enough, Born A Rebel and the victorious war chant of the title track all sound like they coulda been on 2000’s Veni Vidi Vicious
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
(introduction)
Enough Is Enough
Hooray Hooray Hooray
Bad Call
Paint A Picture
O.C.D.O.D.
Legalize Living
(interlude)
Roll Out The Red Carpet
Born A Rebel
They Can't Hear The Music
Path Of Most Resistance
The Hives Forever Forever The Hives
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 6 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In his trademark blunt, furious cadence, Andy Crump crowns The Hives' The Hives Forever Forever The Hives as the record that channels righteous rage into hooks and sleazy fuzz, and he keeps coming back to “Enough Is Enough” and “They Can’t Hear the Music” as the album's beating heart. He writes like someone who has no patience for bullshit, praising Pelle Almqvist's barking delivery and the band's ability to turn social outrage into arena-ready sneer - that ferocity is why many will search for the best songs on The Hives Forever Forever The Hives and land on these tracks. The review frames the album as both state-of-the-union howl and personal testament, making the best tracks feel like manifestos and lifelines at once.
Key Points
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The best song, "Enough Is Enough," is best because it immediately channels righteous anger and sets the album’s uncompromising tone.
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The album’s core strengths are its fusion of political outrage and personal rock lifelines, delivered with abrasive charm and persistent swagger.
Themes
Critic's Take
The Hives deliver on The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives with an arena-sized blast of hooks and attitude, and the review makes clear the best tracks are muscular and immediate. The write-up singles out “O.C.D.O.D.” for its blistering 1:45 intensity and the title track “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives” as a powerful, Strokes-meets-electro evocation. It also points to “Path Of Most Resistance” for a kooky, Devo-ish guitar hook, making these the best songs on the album for anyone hunting the top tracks on The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives. The tone stays celebratory - jaunty braggadocio with enough new production touches to justify repeated plays.
Key Points
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The best song is "O.C.D.O.D." for its blistering 1:45 performance and immediate lyric that showcase the band’s ferocious intensity.
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The album’s core strengths are arena-ready, hook-heavy songs with playful braggadocio and production touches that nudge The Hives into new territory.
Themes
Critic's Take
The Hives sound defiantly alive on The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, a short, sharp collection that leans into party-ready garage punk and big-voiced swagger. Tom Morgan highlights the best tracks plainly - “Enough Is Enough” for Howlin' Pelle's exhilarating vocal turn, “O.C.D.O.D.” for its early-80s hardcore exuberance, and “Born On A Rebel” for its brash bravado. The record is not a reinvention, but it is a revitalising volley of raucous rock'n'roll that still manages to energise and delight listeners.
Key Points
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The best song, “Enough Is Enough”, is best for Howlin' Pelle's exhilarating vocal performance.
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The album's core strengths are energetic garage punk songwriting, unabashed bravado, and contagious exuberance.
Themes
Cl
Critic's Take
The Hives sound gleefully mercenary on The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, and the best songs - “Enough Is Enough”, “Born A Rebel” and the title track - are textbook Hives: two-minute hits built to destroy dance floors. Sleazegrinder revels in their jackhammer intensity and scoured-back 60s and 70s influences, so when “Enough Is Enough” snarls and “Born A Rebel” struts, you know you are in safe hands. The review leans hard into celebration, calling every track a hit single waiting to happen, which makes the album’s concise, relentless assault its chief virtue. In short, if you search for the best songs on The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, start with those three and brace for pure, unapologetic action-rock fun.
Key Points
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The best song(s) combine concise two-minute hits with jackhammer intensity, notably “Enough Is Enough” and “Born A Rebel”.
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The album’s core strengths are relentless energy, retro garage-punk revivalism, and consistent, dance-floor-ready songwriting.
Themes
Critic's Take
The Hives charge through The Hives Forever Forever The Hives with unabashed, breakneck joy, and the best songs - notably “Enough Is Enough” and “Hooray Hooray Hooray” - crystallize that energy. Steve Beebee’s voice revels in the band’s refusal to soften, praising 33 minutes of "tyre-screeching anthems" and Howlin’ Pelle’s roar on “Enough Is Enough”. The title-track and “Hooray Hooray Hooray” are tagged as gleeful, self-congratulatory anthems, but applauded for being built like that for good reason. This is rock made with confidence, repetition turned into celebration, and those standout tracks drive the album’s exhilaration.
Key Points
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The best song is best because Howlin’ Pelle’s roar and rhino-heavy riffs make “Enough Is Enough” an irresistible opener.
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The album’s core strength is sustained, relentless energy and tightly-wrapped anthemic hooks across its 33 minutes.