If Joni Mitchell had a synthesizer, she could easily be the fourth sister of HAIM.
The highly anticipated debut album “Days are Gone” dropped Sunday, and the three California Haim sisters live up to the hype.
“Days are Gone” presents songs of falling in love, dealing with relationships and eventually letting go, in an edgy “I’m going to ombre my hair and only wear leather vests” kind of way.
Heavy on the drums and vocal harmonies, Danielle, Alana and Este Haim are a mix between Destiny’s Child and Fleetwood Mac.
But the three twenty-somethings aren’t new to the music scene — having been in a family band with their parents for years. Danielle Haim has played the drums on Jenny Lewis’ tour and guitar for the Strokes frontman, Julian Casablancas. Together, HAIM has opened for Mumford & Sons and played Lollapalooza and the 2013 Glastonbury Festival.
The pop rock, indie trio are all multi-instrumentalists who sing and write their own material. And do it all with great hair — some people have it all.
“Days are Gone” is a full-length album, including their three songs — “Forever,” “Falling” and “Go Slow” — from 2012 EP “Forever.”
The album has a very distinctive formula: repetitive drum beats plus catchy choruses, a recurring theme in each song.
HAIM’s strength isn’t in its vocals, though its harmonies make it sound easy. The sisters have a clear gimmick: reimagining the classics and drawing on inspirations to create their unique sound. You can hear Joni Mitchell in “Honey & I,” a little early Vampire Weekend in “Forever” and some TLC in the sassy girl power anthem “My Song 5.” Still, they’ve managed to keep the album cohesive.
As far as lyrics go, “The Wire” is the strongest song on the album. With a verse saying, “I’d give it all away just to hear you say that / Well I know, I know, I know I know that you’re gonna be OK anyway,” this song puts every Taylor Swift breakup song to shame.
Halfway through the album, the easy-going, raw sound switches to a more auto-tuned ‘90s vibe with “Days are Gone” and “My Song 5.” Though the two songs are potential hits in the making, they also feel a little out of place compared to the rest of the tracks.
If this is what their first album sounds like, I am excited to see what comes next.
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 10/3/2013 under the headline "Haim’s first album brings catchy beats to classic themes"
Alana Haim (left), Danielle Haim (center) and Este Haim (right) of HAIM perform at Lollapalooza in August in Chicago’s Grant Park to promote their new album “Days are Gone,” which was released Sept. 30.
