I don’t like Randy. I’d like to go on record as saying that from the outset. The whole garage rock thing – the cheap, scuzzy production and the now cliches shirts and ties thing is just not for me. The Hives did this in 2002 and it wasn’t that great then so you can probably tell that from the outset I’m not going to be overly impressed with ‘Welfare Problems’. To be honest this could be the newest Hives record, it’s all low slung guitars, tin-pot production and handclaps. The brightest thing about this record is probably the laughable press release, suggesting Randy will “light up your boring life” and that punk is “as rebellious as a Che Guevara t-shirt.” And maybe it is, but at least it isn’t so annoyingly bad that you’d rather find said t-shirt and burn it than keep on listening.
‘Man In Uniform’ really sets the tone – and it’s cheap and nasty. The guitars are far too low in the mix and there’s no power or punch to match the lyrics, which it has to be said are Randy‘s saving grace. This track in particular is good lyrically, with the band berating the authorities for the part in the Gothenburg riots, but to be honest the lyrics are all too often indistinguishable. ‘Bad, Bad, Bad’ is a mixture of far too many incidents, culminating in a synthesiser which drowns everything out.
The band rate Motorhead and Cheap Trick as influences, but the cringeworthy backing vocals to ‘We’re Fucked Up More Or Less’ are as far removed from legends like Lemmy as possible. The riffs aren’t particularly memorable and at times there’s just too much going on. ‘Cheap Thrills‘ comes across like a male The Donnas while ‘X-Ray Eyes‘ is just appalling stuff. There is one saving grace with the delightfully dirty ‘Ruff Stuff’, but to be honest it’s taken far too long to get to anything even remotely resembling a tune.
‘Welfare Problems’ is a very average record. It offers nothing new and in sticking to what the band know best they certainly won’t win too many new fans. The success of The Hives might have opened a few doors for them, but I can’t help but feel that this record might well just shut them again.
Paul