The main dish on the menu today is an in-depth chat with the Swedish punk band The Hives frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, who is one of the charming and over-the-top rock ‘n roll frontmen in the game today.

The Hives released an excellent seventh album “The Hives Forever Forever the Hives” last year and will bring it to the Fillmore Detroit on March 24 (tomorrow night!). I talked with Howlin’ about the music that has influenced him over the years, including from Viagra Boys, Refused, Mitch Ryder, MC5 and so much more.

That interview begins at the 2:06 mark. Plus, new music from RIO KOSTA, Rostam and more.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for March 23, 2026

• “Mountain Top” – RIO KOSTA
• “Rose Rouge” – Jorja Smith
• “What Kinda Music (Jordan Rakei Remix)” – Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes
• “and then? و بعدين؟” – Kazdoura
• “Backstairs” – The New Pornographers
• “Opening Night” – Arctic Monkeys & War Child Records
• “Parasite” – English Teacher, Graham Coxon & War Child Records
• “Pretty Girls” – Honeyglaze
• “Hell Is Near (Live)” – St. Vincent & Jules Buckley
• “Beyond The Sun” – Beth Gibbons
• “Egyptian Musk” – Yaya Bey & NESTA
• “It’s My House (12″ Remix)” – Diana Ross
• “Like A Spark” – Rostam
• “Cécile” – Edouard Ferlet
• “How It Ends” – DeVotchKa
• “Disparate Youth” – Santigold
• “Y Control” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• “Pokemon” – Wet Leg
• “Different Places” – Amber Mark & John The Blind
• “Stay On My Mind” – Mark Farina, Homero Espinosa & Dani Siciliano
• “new body rhumba (from the film White Noise)” – LCD Soundsystem
• “Supply and Demand (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – The Hives
• “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – AC/DC
• “Walk Idiot Walk (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – The Hives
• “Summerholidays Vs. Punkroutine (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – Refused
• “Pyramid of Health (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – Viagra Boys
• “Hate to Say I Told You So (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – The Hives
• “Detroit (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – Rancid
• “Ramblin’ Rose (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – MC5
• “Devil With the Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
• “Come on! (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – The Hives
• “Enough Is Enough (In The Groove with the Hives’ Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist)” – The Hives
• “Fire & Brimstone” – Link Wray

Listen to In The Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

This episode of Big Sonic Heaven featured three tracks with proceeds going toward helping people in war-stricken areas. First up, an unexpected new release from Dead Can Dance, their first new single in five years, “Our Day Will Come.” For every purchase of “Our Day Will Come,” Dead Can Dance will donate 50% of the proceeds to MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians).

MAP does incredible work to provide medical care, food, and nutritional aid to the Palestinian people. The new single also came with an announcement that all of their future music will only be released on Bandcamp, a platform that bans AI music. Their statement is below:

“We have decided to no longer support streaming platforms that continue to exploit artists and promote AI generated music. In future we will sell our music directly to the public via Bandcamp, a platform that continues to support independent artists and which has commendably banned all forms of AI generated music, a technology that threatens the very life and soul of our profession.”

We also took the new Depeche Mode and Beth Gibbons War Child Records Help(2) tracks for another spin. Proceeds help to protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of children living through conflict around the world.

In other new music, we heard the latest from Deary, ACTORS, Art School Girlfriend, Plastic Milk, and more. 

Plus, we celebrated 30 years of Stereolab’s album, “Emperor Tomato Ketchup!” Yay!

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above. 

• “You Do Something To Me” – Sinéad O’Connor
• “All That We Had Is Lost” – Postiljonen
• “Alma” – deary
• “Love Less” – New Order
• “Vertigo” – Miki Berenyi Trio
• “Our Day Will Come” – Dead Can Dance
• “Railwayed” – Kitchens of Distinction
• “Primitive Painters” – Felt
• “Universal Soldier” – Depeche Mode & War Child Records
• “Les Yper -Sound” – Stereolab
• “Sugar Phantom Blackout” – Bluhm
• “Torture” – The Cure
• “Other Things” – Ringo Deathstarr
• “Almost Transparent” – Art School Girlfriend
• “It’s Enough Now” – Mandalay
• “A Return” – The Tear Garden
• “Overcome” – Tricky
• “chained to a cloud” – Slowdive
• “Thursday” – Asobi Seksu
• “CTRL” – ACTORS
• “Heart and Soul” – Joy Division
• “Deep Ocean Vast Sea” – Peter Murphy
• “The Robot Girl Psychiatrist” – The False Dawns
• “Punish Me With Kisses” – The Glove
• “Kiss Of Snow (feat. Krissy Vanderwoude)” – LongingSky
• “Vapour Trail” – Ride
• “Sunday Morning” – Beth Gibbons & War Child Records
• “Carolyn’s Fingers” – Cocteau Twins
• “Into You” – The Haunted Youth
• “Klettur” – Sigur Rós
• “Sticky Halo” – Plastic Milk
• “I Tried” – Shoestrings
• “Kiss a Girl In Black” – Fleeting Joys

Tonight, Big Sonic Heaven featured tracks by Depeche Mode and Beth Gibbons from the “War Child Records Help(2)” charity compilation. “Every purchase, stream, and share of ‘HELP(2)’ supports War Child UK to raise critical funds for children living through the unthinkable.”

Head over to their Bandcamp to buy a track or the full record to support this important cause. 

We also heard a new single from Detroit dreampop duo Bluhm, a new English-French art-pop duo called Nonsense Rats, and more, plus your favorite Big Sonic classics.

Don’t forget that every show is available for replay for two weeks at wdet.org. Thanks for listening!

• “Trust” – The Cure
• “Phosphorous” – Lamb
• “Alfie” – Deary
• “Cherry-Coloured Funk” – Cocteau Twins
• “Universal Soldier” – Depeche Mode & War Child Records
• “Scarlet” – Lush
• “String Theory” – Lanterns On The Lake
• “Violently Happy” – Björk
• “The Night Is Quiet” – Nonsense Rats
• “Don’t Fade Away” – Dead Can Dance
• “South Coast” – Throwing Muses
• “Tears” – The Chameleons
• “Fear Everything” – Bathe Alone
• “Before” – The Giraffe Told Me in My Dream
• “The Ghost In You” – Siouxsie & The Banshees
• “Sunday Morning” – Beth Gibbons & War Child Records
• “2Wicky” – Hooverphonic
• “Running Away” – Washed Out
• “Come Together” – Primal Scream
• “No Longer Making Time” – Slowdive
• “Burrow” – AtticOmatic
• “Song To The Siren” – This Mortal Coil
• “Pink Funeral” – Beach House
• “Reel Around The Fountain” – The Smiths
• “Faît Accompli” – Curve
• “The Lake (Cinematic)” – Fever Ray
• “Like Suicide” – ACTORS
• “Here’s To All The Ones” – Hunter As a Horse
• “You Look So Fine” – Garbage
• “Sugar Phantom Blackout” – Bluhm
• “Anger is an Acid (with IAMX)” – cEvin Key
• “Such A Shame” – Talk Talk