By Samantha Berkhead
Editor-in-Chief
Believe the hype.
Los Angeles indie-pop trio Haim (the name rhymes with “time”) are conquering the music world.
This week, the band’s debut “Days Are Gone” claimed the No. 1 spot on the UK albums chart, ahead of long-established artists like Justin Timberlake, Drake and Kings of Leon. They took the No. 6 spot on the American Billboard chart as well.
Haim, composed of sisters Danielle, Este and Alana Haim, infuses catchy, laid-back, Fleetwood Mac-inspired indie with elements of 90s R&B and a hint of Feist’s quirkiness. The band sticks with this sound for much of the album — why fix a bad thing? — but it’s a sound that never dulls or sounds redundant.
Opener “Falling” grabs the listener’s attention with singer and guitarist Danielle’s earnest, urgent vocals.
“I hurl into the moment like I’m standing at the edge,” she sings, and her immediacy lasts for the rest of “Days Are Gone.” The rest of the song plods along, driven by Este’s funk-infused bass line and an addictive call-and-response chorus.
The band-of-siblings trope always works in Haim’s favor. The three sisters, in addition to sharing vocal duties and harmonizing sublimely, craft their songs with a sense of chemistry and nuance like only siblings can.
“Honey & I” is a highlight, an ode to starry-eyed love and loss that sounds like Joni Mitchell at her most radio-ready. The title track is early-90s pop radio gone right, with Alana’s keyboards and a drum machine backing Este’s soulful croon and a crunchy, percussive guitar reverb on the chorus. “My Song 5” finds Haim at its most ambitious and aggressive, a heavy, lurching drum beat and distorted guitar riff propelling a heaping of feminine angst.
Lyrically, “Days Are Gone” is accessible in its vagueness. Anyone who’s been in any kind of relationship and subsequent breakup can relate to lyrics like “If I could change your mind / I could make you mine” or “I can’t go on / If your love isn’t strong.”
This passive universality might be seen as a weak point, but these lyrics only serve to take a backseat to the fantastic musical moods and tones the band establishes. This is a band for everybody.
Haim might just be the band of the moment, but it’s a great moment if so. Let’s hope they’re here to stay.
