"The Black and White Album" is the fourth studio album by Swedish rock band The Hives, released on October 8, 2007, through A&M/Octone and Polydor Records. The album includes tracks produced by notable producers like Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, Jacknife Lee, and Dennis Herring. The band recorded between 20 to 30 songs for the album, ultimately selecting the best ones for the final release.
Notable tracks include "Puppet on a String," which features just piano and hand claps, and "A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors," an instrumental piece. The song "Fall Is Just Something Grownups Invented" was used for promotions on Cartoon Network and appears as a bonus track in various versions of the album.
The lead single, "Tick Tick Boom," gained popularity, featuring in video games like Madden NFL 08 and NCAA Football 10, and clips were used in a Nike commercial. While initially scheduled for release on October 9, 2007, the album's UK release was postponed to October 15, and the US release followed on November 13. The album is notable for being The Hives' longest, exceeding 32 minutes. A music video for "Won't Be Long" was also released in 2008, and the single "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." was confirmed for release in February 2008.
