The Hives: We Rule The World (T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S)

All he touches ain’t been gold for some time now, and while Pharrell Williams is a pretty special name to have on your band’s CV so far as collaborators go, his influence on The Hives’ latest single is entirely forgettable. Phoned-in funk licks beneath the same-ol’ braggadocio from that Howlin’ fella. Blah.

A Matt Helders remix is slightly more distracting, if only for the WTF is an Arctic Monkey doing remixing t’ings aspect. Functionary, bleepin’, slightly better than meh: it’s a little more brutish than the straight-faced A-side, and better for it.

But, that old adage… you can’t polish a what?