Lest we forget about the Hives, the band has officially released a video of an underrated track off of their latest album, The Black and White Album. "Won't Be Long," which features some wickedly smart lyrics about the trappings of becoming too famous, is most notable for its insane range and innovation in vocals by Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, which goes from Calvin Johnson to Julian Casablancas to Hamilton Leithauser without any hint of predictability.  The vocals are backed by some vaguely derivative music recalling "Love Will Tear Us Apart," but the focus is really on Almqvist.

 

The video for "Won't Be Long" consists of rare and never-before-seen concert footage mixed with footage of The Hives high-tailing it around some major locations. It's a very smart video to release before the band's mini-tour of the U.S., which consists of the following dates:

 

09.16 Austin, TX: ?Stubb's
09.17 Dallas, TX: ?House of Blues
09.19 Tempe, AZ: ?Marquee Theatre
09.20 San Diego, CA” ?Street Scene
09.21 Anaheim, CA: ?The Grove
09.22 Ventura, CA: ?Ventura Theater
09.23 San Fransisco, CA: ?The Warfield
09.24 Los Angeles, CA: ?The Mayan
09.25 Los Angeles, CA ?:The Mayan