Just weeks away from the release of their fourth album, Alana, Danielle, and Este Haim share their thoughts on the heartbreaks, bad dates, and sisterly connection that shaped their most unified project to date.
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On a sunny afternoon in late May, Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim are in the UK promoting their latest single, ‘Take Me Back’. CLASH interviews the sister trio – all in their 30s – over Zoom from a hot hotel room in Central London. The sisters are struggling with the air conditioning and a malfunctioning laptop that crashes each time the camera is activated. Despite these technical difficulties, HAIM remains lively and conversational, especially Alana – affectionately referred to as Baby Haim – who leads the discussion with stories of unfortunate romances and the enjoyable moments during recording.
Their upcoming album, ‘I Quit’, emerges five years after their critically acclaimed album ‘Women in Music Pt. III’. Comprising fifteen tracks, HAIM presents a case for starting fresh; intertwining narratives of heartbreak, disappointment, desire, nostalgia, and liberation into their distinctive amalgamation of ‘70s soft rock. The opening track, ‘Gone’, is momentous, reminiscent of Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ and samples a gospel-infused segment from George Michael’s ‘Freedom! ‘90’. The effect is redemptive. “Can I have your attention please / For the last time before I leave?” Danielle Haim begins softly. “On second thought I changed my mind.” This introduces a swirling mix of relief, sorrow, and redemption that concludes with the final track, ‘Now it’s time’.
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‘I Quit’ stands as HAIM’s most unified album yet, conceived and written in the wake of Danielle’s breakup with fellow musician Ariel Rechtshaid, her partner for nine years and co-producer of their first three albums. The album captures the tangled web of emotions—both infuriating and revitalizing—associated with separation. This is best illustrated in the lead single ‘Relationships’, a sun-drenched, percussion-laden track that feels like an exhilarating continuation from 2017’s ‘Want You Back’, marking a definitive departure from a past relationship.
Interestingly, ‘Relationships’ was penned back in 2017 and draws inspiration from the slick ‘90s R&B sound heard on HAIM’s second album, ‘Something to Tell You’. The sisters reminisce about a brief flight from Sydney to Melbourne where Danielle was engrossed in the GarageBand app on her phone, eager to finalize the song. Initially dubbed a “problem child” by the group, it lingered in the background until recently, fluctuating through various chords and lyrics. “We always knew it was special, but we couldn’t get the production right.” Notably, many of their most successful songs—like ‘Want You Back’, ‘The Wire’, and ‘The Steps’—faced similar challenges. “Those songs… we cherish them all,” Alana reflects. “Probably because we had to labor so much over them,” Danielle adds.
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Regarding ‘Relationships’, the sisters recall a “eureka moment” when Danielle discovered the drum pattern. “That’s the spark you need to keep moving forward,” says Alana. “Rostam [Batmanglij] was likely the only one apart from us who grasped how special that song was,” they agree. “He really dedicated time to help us nail it. So when we began the journey of ‘I Quit’, it felt like the ideal starting point.”
The sisters speak with utmost admiration for Rostam – a founding member of Vampire Weekend known for producing for artists like Frank Ocean, Solange, and Charli XCX. “He has a deep understanding and appreciation for all types of music,” Danielle comments. “His taste is incredible,” Este adds. Danielle met Rostam years ago while touring with Julian Casablancas, and the two seem to have found a creative synergy. Alana compares their collaboration to a ballet. “They communicate in the same language, share the same references; it’s beautiful to witness.”
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This marks the second collaboration between HAIM and Rostam. “I feel like whenever I present an idea, he knows how to expand it,” Danielle reflects. She credits their collaborative relationship to a shared band background that is essentially experimental. “We always aim to make everything sound distinctively ours,” she explains. “It involves a lot of trial and error, and Rostam is such an incredible producer to do that with.”
“At the core, we are a rock band,” Danielle continues. “We enjoy recording and aim for our sound to reflect a band playing organic instruments in an interesting way. He has always accomplished that in his music, and he approaches it without pretense. He’s capable of anything, and I genuinely admire him and his musical ear.” This synchronicity extends into their personal lives; all three sisters were single during the
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Just weeks before the release of their fourth album, Alana, Danielle, and Este Haim look back on the heartbreaks, poor dates, and the sisterly connection that