In some ways, their music is made for the current moment: driving, intricate, often ingenious pop songs, creative enough to snare ears and spin heads on the very first listen. It certainly comes across as a major effort, with the pure craft of it rivaling anything else out there and an effusive sense of confidence. Now the full-length bow, Days Are Gone, arrives with a level of anticipation and excitement otherwise reserved for fresh releases by well-established artists. Sprinkling singles and EPs across the past two years, the three sisters from the San Fernando Valley who gave their last name to their band kept interest piqued across the blogosphere and earned some modest chart success in the UK, home of their primary record label, Polydor. However, it’s synthetic, sometimes muddled sound, as well as its lack of earnestness results in an album that has little power to influence or remain relevant.The beneficiaries of exhausting buzz well before the release of their debut album, Haim are the latest test case for the modern life cycle of band adulation, from praise to backlash to reassessment to disdain to who knows what. ‘Something to Tell You’ will please those searching for the fun, familiar HAIM sound that we know and love. Danielle’s vocal performance also lacks the emotional oomf on their debut, as her signature snarl and rock-and-roll attitude is missing. Let’s never say goodbye.” It doesn’t add anything new to the conversation, and it lacks the earnest emotion of ‘Days are Gone’. It’s content is a high school romance: “Does he like me?” “Does he not like me?” “This moment is perfect. Lyrically, this album is cyclical at best, dull at worst. But by the end of the album, the layers upon layers of differing instrumentation becomes unnecessary and cluttered. The protruding drum line in title track ‘Something to Tell You’ is a shining moment on the record. The three sisters started out as drummers before moving onto their respective instruments, and their ear for melding varieties in tempo and rhythm is evident. To its credit, ‘Something to Tell You’ retains HAIM’s reputation as being the queens of rhythm. An addition I found odd, and not complementary. That is, until two minutes in when it breaks down into a bizarre experimental drop (think 22 A-Million), before starting the synths back up again. Second track ‘Nothing’s Wrong’ is also an easily lovable, straight-forward pop song.
‘Want You Back’ is a fun, catchy single with all the quintessential elements of HAIM including a funky beat, great production, sweet vocal harmonies, and, most importantly, danceability. ‘Something to Tell You’ opens with the highlight of the album. This is extremely pertinent in tracks such as ‘Little of Your Love’ and ‘Ready for You’ songs that could have come from any George Michael album. It is an album that throws back to the late 70s/early 80s more vividly than ever before. ‘Something To Tell You’ strips away any resemblance of rock, instead embracing a variety of pop tropes, armed with a butt-load of synths, drum pads, and the occasional Taylor Swift-style country guitar riff. It packed a groove and a flair that forced listeners to fall in love with them.Īfter over three years between releases, HAIM has dialled up the pop vibes even further.
They’d recreated a Fleetwood Mac-type sound that the industry hadn’t been exposed to on a mass-scale for decades. Although slightly disappointed at the disparity between live set and record, it was still a solid pop album.
Upon the release of ‘Days are Gone’, I’d quickly realised that the trio had scrubbed away all grittiness to leave a squeaky-clean pop record with tinges of funk, soul and rnb. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Dawson via Echo Net Daily) Their tracks had a gritty, rock-inspired edge to them. Danielle killed it on vocals and lead guitar, whilst Este’s iconic bass face and stance could be seen from the next stage over. But here were three young gals (I later found out that they were sisters) rockin out HARD. Their debut hadn’t been released yet, and they were pretty unknown Down Under. The first time I heard HAIM was at Splendour in the Grass 2013. HAIM’s waited return offers a tracklist that seems to be ‘Days Are Gone 2.0’, however this time their unrelenting pop sound lacks the charm and freshness that everyone adored on their infectious debut.
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