Haim – Days Are Gone (2013) – Review

Review: Los Angeles indie pop/rock group Haim, made up of the three Haim Sisters (Danielle, Alana, and Este), have arrived with their debut album Days Are Gone, following up on their strong EP Forever from last year.

Days Are Gone is solid musically throughout, mixing a fun pop/rock style with a modern sonic sensibility, though void of synths and other EDM-influenced instrumentation, which is refreshing for once. This at its heart it is a light rock album that feels very fun-loving. And, as a pop/rock album, most of the songs are about failed relationships, and thus is on some level very relatable. While the lyrics seems to find the Haim Sisters in the throes of breakups and lost love (usually featuring them as the heartbreaker), the music itself is very bright and energetic, maybe even infectious.

The Haim Sisters work with a few producers including Ariel Rechtshaid (indie pop), Ludwig Goransson (Childish Gambino’s producing partner on Camp and the composer of the music on a few TV series including Community), and James Ford (British indie pop/rock) as well as songwriters Jessie Ware and Kid Harpoon on the album, giving it a varied makeup that works very well in keeping things feeling fresh from track to track. However, even with the varied producers and song styles, Haim retains their sound throughout, which has a very late-1980s feel (like a lot of today’s pop music), and thus their album seems to arrive perfectly positioned for a listener base poised to consume it.

The Haim sisters have all been recording and from a young age, growing up in a musical family (their parents are musicians as well). Thus, Days Are Gone could have merely been the lifeless output of seasoned studio musicians (who have already run the mainstream gauntlet as teens with the group the Valli Girls). As is, the album is a sassy, enthusiastic joy to listen to.

Days Are Gone is well worth checking out for fans of pop/rock, as it fits today’s musical trend while still feeling light and fresh. 4/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Falling – Produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and the Haim Sisters

2)      The Wire – Produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and the Haim Sisters

3)      Days Are Gone – Produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and the Haim Sisters

Available on: Digital Download