Sometimes it’s hard to know what is more entertaining about The Hives: their music or their joking-not-joking vainglorious shtick about their own greatness. Since their signature anthem “Hate to Say I Told You So” crashed the charts in 2001, the Swedish five-piece have reliably added a knowing cockiness to their thrilling garage punk rock: their breakthrough compilation album in the UK was titled Your New Favourite Band .

But the press release for excellent new album The Hives Forever Forever The Hives is a work of art in the genre. Written on Royal Letterhead paper – the album cover pictures the band adorned in crowns and ostentatious black and white gowns – it turns the bravado up to 11.

I put some of the claims in there to frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist as he walks around a Stock

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