After a three-year absence from the music scene, Swedish quintet The Hives returned to rock Boston – complete with fresh suits and new hair dos.

Although currently on tour with Maroon 5 (who came up with that pairing?), Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and company found time to make a stop at the Middle East on Sunday night. Fans welcomed each band member onto the stage one by one with roaring cheers – the guys looking more like carefully picked Calvin Klein models than rock stars.

The band members played a handful of fan-favorites from their previous two albums, Veni Vidi Vicious and Tyrannosaurus Hives, and also offered a generous helping of material from the forthcoming release The Black and White Album. The album is due to drop in the U.S. on November 13.

A sweaty and energetic show ensued as Pelle shrieked, hollered and flirted with his crowd. Wide-eyed guitarist Nicholaus Arson banged out song after song, even giving his older fans a chance to scream out during “AKA I-D-I-O-T,” one of the highlights from the band’s debut 1997 release, Barely Legal.

Although Pelle explained that the boys are very proud of their new album, which features unlikely productions by the likes of hip-hop heavyweights The Neptunes, it was obvious that the songs showcased were not as strong as most of the material from the band’s first three albums.

Still, the songs contained enough simple licks and quick snare drum beats to acquire much adoration from the crowd.

Despite that The Hives have been around over a decade, the band only has four albums under their belt and have yet to find major mainstream success. However, as the music progresses towards a more accessible sound and the infectious stage shows continue to flourish, it may only be a matter of minutes before the band ‘tick ticks and booms’ to superstar status.