Review Summary: HAIM, pronounced “high-eem”
When I first heard of HAIM I made two mistakes. The first was the assumption the band’s name rhymed with ‘aim’ -- it actually rhymes with ‘time,’ with an emphasis on the ‘ime,’ in order to match the Israeli pronunciation of the word, which means life. The second was the assumption that they were just another substandard, radio-friendly alternative rock band blown up by the media hype machine. After one listen to “Days Are Gone,” I realized this too was a mistake.
HAIM is composed of the three Haim sisters -- Este (bass), Danielle (vocals, guitar), and Alana (keys, rhythm guitar) -- and drummer Dash Hutton. The band is taking the alternative rock scene by storm, touring with groups including Florence + the Machine and Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, and has been featured by the likes of Kid Cudi and Major Lazer.
The most apt comparison of the band would be to Fleetwood Mac, but to pigeon-hole HAIM as a copycat would be a disservice. The classic rock intros to the delightfully catchy “Honey & I” and spunky fourth single “The Wire” - complete with frequent “Heys!” to emphasize certain lines -- will certainly solidify that parity. However, the impressive part is HAIM’s excursions into other genres. A prime example of that diversity comes on “My Song 5” -- confusingly placed as the eighth track -- which strays into grunge and blues-rock while Danielle gives a cathartic recount of a particularly nasty break up. Also of note is penultimate track “Let Me Go,” which tastefully blends soul with electronically produced percussion beats with their alternative rock sound into a single slick package.
The biggest issue with the album is a problem that many new bands suffer from -- a lack of new material. Bands that see success early-on frequently want to release the songs that were made popular before their breakthrough on the first studio album. Imagine Dragons, Atlas Genius, and Foster the People are just a few bands that have fallen victim to this. While the older songs included are indeed good (there’s a reason HAIM blew up so quickly), more new material would have been welcome.
We’ll have to wait until the band’s second release to see if they’re more than a one-trick pony, but if HAIM can continue making music of this caliber, the wait will be well worth it.
3.7/5
