Female rock band Haim’s sound has been revolutionary for myself and women across the globe, continuing to evolve with the times and challenge the trope that ‘females can’t rock out as hard as men’.
I remember the first time I ever listened to a Haim song. I was in the passenger seat of my best friend’s Suzuki Swift, we were driving along the highway, windows down, hair blowing in the wind—cliché girl movie scene. She turned to me and said “listen to this”, turning the volume up to that exhilarating level of loud. My head caught the groove, my skin grew goose-bumps and I felt moved. Something had shifted in some way. It’s not often that you hear a song that goes deeper than tantalising your ears.
“I can go toe-to-toe with any male rock band and blow them out of the water” – Este Haim ,The Guardian
As I’m sure you’re already guessing, this was their huge single ‘The Wire’, which was soon followed by the release of their debut album Days are Gone (2013). For quite some time, I felt like I was in on some magical little secret, but I sure as hell wasn’t the only one relishing in their effortlessly cool tunes. This all-girl, sister-band trio (Este, Danielle and Alana Haim) was creating something different, real and raw and talented. It felt excruciatingly empowering. It honestly made me want to be in a band, regardless of my severe lack of musical talent (apart from the fact that I can pick up the beat and dance like no one is watching). These girls had a unique sound, a je ne sais quois if you will.
They gained rapid momentum after releasing their Forever EP in 2012. Touring the States, they played live show after live show, letting people capture their essence and bask in their genetically blessed talent. Forever got a ton of love and critically acclaimed praise, so the pressure was on to bring out that first album and for it to be damn good.
Days Are Gone (2013) was long-awaited as the sisters had spent rigorous amounts of time in the studio, perfecting every last song, and the reception it received was incredible. Absolutely worth the wait. Then those girls made us wait some more. After touring and sharing the tracks from their album globally, we didn’t hear new music from them for another four years. Instead, we played their tracks on repeat. Grabbing something new from each song every time we listened, and forever wondering what they might grace us with next.
Now, I know Haim was well-known and recognised for quite some time, but to me, it felt like in the six months lead up to their second album release, they just got bigger and bigger. Was it because of their online presence? Through their Instagram accounts, much like many other artists, we became attached to the creators behind the music. We know them more intimately, they’re our friends now: young girls wish to be the forgotten, fourth Haim sister (much like the SNL skit featuring Brie Larson).
These sisters know just how to draw us in too, providing little choreographed skits of them dancing to nostalgic sitcom theme songs (their Sister, Sister performance being an all-time favourite of mine). They’re funny, each as different as the next, and entertaining as hell. They feel so much more relatable than many other female artists in the spotlight because they continue to show us their true and authentic selves.
The release of their second album Something to Tell You really depicted the vast and ever-evolving talent of these sisters. Their tracks took on a country-esque background quality to them and each song seemed to echo the message of the album’s title. The band has been likened to Fleetwood Mac in the past and this album seemed to emulate that sound even more. After having performed a rendition of ‘Rhiannon’ alongside the infamous Stevie Nick’s in her LA home (2014), it’s no doubt they would’ve felt inspired by her female grandeur: the first solo female artist to ever enter the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.
“After we’d finished some of these songs we were like: ‘Holy shit this is some of the best songs we’ve ever done.’ ” – Danielle Haim, The Guardian
Aside from kicking-ass in the music scene as a chick-only band, they’ve used their success to promote the powerful message that women can do anything and are here to be heard in all forms of art practice. What better way to send the message that they’re strong, female and taking over the music scene than to make the title of their upcoming album Women in Music Pt. III ?
After witnessing their music shift and evolve over the past seven years, it’s almost too difficult to pin-point or predict what this album might have in store for us. The sisters have slowly been dropping singles since late last year and while the sound is still that effervescent Haim sound, I think we’ll all notice their music continuing to grow alongside them.
Women in Music Pt. III will be released on April 24th of this year and I think I speak for more than myself when I say: Let’s. Play. It. On. Repeat.
Subscribe to FIB’s Weekly Alchemy Report for your weekly dose of music, fashion and pop culture news!