Joni Mitchell’s influence is all over this project, especially in their lyrics (i.e. III trades those broad lyrics for tiny descriptors that reveal much more. While everybody can, on some level, relate to the odes to heartbreak and relationships on their previous albums, Women In Music Pt. From a sheer songwriting point-of-view, this is the most inspired HAIM we’ve seen. Their first two albums denied fans of the intimacy, technical ability, and groove HAIM have in concert. You could tell HAIM was switching gears from the moment “ The Steps” was released. The lyrics are molded to the music on HAIM’s past albums, but the instrumentation of album coexists beautifully with the intimate, revealing stories on display. In past albums, these songs would have been built up with synths and electronic drums, but those are traded for acoustic guitars and drum kits on Women in Music Pt.
Every song is polished, but they have the rawness of demos. If anything, this is a stripped-down version. Actually, maybe “expanded” isn’t the right word. Rechstaid and Haim produced Something to Tell You, and the addition of Batmanglij expanded the boundaries of HAIM’s sound. III is.įormer Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij produced the record alongside Ariel Rechstaid and Danielle Haim, and it shows. Seeing them live, it’s just them with a keyboard or two, a couple guitars, a bass, and a drum kit – and that’s what Women in Music Pt. III goes well beyond HAIM’s earlier albums, with the production making this album a defining moment for the band. Released June 26, 2020, via Polydor Records, Women in Music Pt. With their third album, though, HAIM have redirected their focus. Even though it has high points, I thought Something to Tell You went in the wrong direction. Rather than diving into the instrumentation and emotion of their concerts, they opted for poppy, processed beats and simple guitar lines. Days Are Gone was a great debut, but Something to Tell You didn’t push the needle forward. Something to Tell You had some strong songs, but it felt like they were running it back rather than moving forward. If this is a safe space ( and I’d like to believe that it is), then I want to say I wasn’t a huge fan of their second record. In an interview with Rolling Stone, lead singer and middle sister Danielle Haim said, “If I’m feeling some type of way and we start to write, I don’t fully understand my feelings until the song’s done and out in the world.” Maybe she found out how she felt about those songs earlier in the tour, but it felt like it happened that night. While it’s a great, unique record, it isn’t known for its intimate, soul-searching lyrics but with the emotion of the room, those distant lyrics took on a new meaning.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved their debut, Days Are Gone, but seeing them live puts you in a different world. The HAIM that played for those next couple hours was so much better than the HAIM I heard on the record. It was the kind of environment made for a band like HAIM: rugs lined the walls, and there was that pre-show hum I grew to love. When I first walked out onto the floor, the intimacy of the place was a completely counter to my expectations. When I saw HAIM in May of 2014, it was my first show at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, and second concert period. There’s something about seeing a band live that can’t be recreated. III’ shows us the sister trio have another level to their musical brilliance, and that they might just have many more yet to come.