Este, Danielle and Alana Haim have been my summer friends since I was introduced to them in 2017.
It was just before I heard “Want You Back,” the first single from Haim’s second album, which I featured on a live recording of The High Note podcast at Ventnor Coffee. The album was released July 7 that year.
The follow-up, “Women In Music Pt. III,” was released on June 26, 2020, and received heavy rotation that summer. I wrote a review of the album for The High Note.
Now, Haim has fueled the heat of another summer with “I Quit,” the band’s fourth studio album, released June 20 on Columbia Records.
Easily the band’s best-sounding and longest album yet—15 tracks spanning nearly 53 minutes—it was produced by Danielle Haim and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij. It features samples of George Michael and U2 and includes songwriting credits from Cass McCombs and Justin Vernon.
With the exception of “Relationships,” Ariel Rechtshaid—producer of the band’s previous three albums and Danielle’s ex—is absent from the project.
The album blends classic rock ’n’ roll and folk with the sisters’ signature pop sound and a penchant for breakup songs.
“Every single song has a theme of quitting something that isn’t working for us anymore,” said Alana, who happens to be my favorite Haim sister, in the press release.
The album opens with the acoustic-led “Gone,” which features a sample of George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90.”
Those soft rock acoustic tones continue on “All Over Me,” as the sisters share their sultry one-night-stand stories.
“Relationships” is my favorite track on the album. It blends ’90s R&B and pop tones and doesn’t hold back on the chorus: “I think I’m in love, but I can’t stand fuckin’ relationships.”
The album’s second single, “Down to Be Wrong,” has big Sheryl Crow energy as the protagonist won’t be swayed into returning to a relationship she just left:
“I ain’t coming back
I ain’t coming down
I was so high last night
I thought, ‘Burn it to the ground’”
The anti-folk anthem “Take Me Back” reminisces about high school and sums it up with a saxophone-backed bridge:
“Take me back to driving
Smoking with the windows down
Trying to waste the day away
I never get to do that now…”
Throughout the album, each of the sisters excels at her craft. From Danielle’s drums on “Love You Right,” to Este’s emotional lead on the ballad “Cry,” to Alana’s disco moment on “Spinning.”
The breakup ballad “Try to Feel My Pain” features Danielle and an acoustic guitar as she lays it bare:
“And my sister said, ‘It’s alright
You can stay with me
If you need a place to calm down
’Til you get back on your feet’”
“I Quit” isn’t all heartbreak and sadness. The fuzz-rock “Lucky Stars,” the infectious “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out” and the climactic closer “Now It’s Time” prove there’s still light on the dancefloor.
Batmanglij crushes the Hammond organ and Wurlitzer electric piano, giving “Now It’s Time” a soulful groove that elevates the sisters’ sound. The track also features a nod to U2—Danielle incorporated the guitar riff from “Numb,” returning the favor after U2 borrowed her riff from “My Song 5” for “Lights of Home.”
The sisters trade verses on “Blood on the Street,” and no surprise—I like Alana’s the best:
“The smell on your breath, what a stench
I wonder why I put up with that stress…”
Whether you’re nursing heartbreak, chasing freedom or just craving a perfect summer soundtrack, “I Quit” is Haim at their most honest and electric. This album proves the sisters aren’t slowing down—they’re just getting louder, looser and more themselves.
Don’t miss Haim when the band kicks off its “I Quit” tour Sept. 4 at TD Pavilion at the Mann in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and when the tour continues Sept. 8 at Madison Square Garden in New York City and Sept. 10 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
Get “I Quit” from Haim, Amazon, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Deezer and qobuz.
Favorite Songs
Relationships
Down To Be Wrong
Take Me Back
Lucky Stars
Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out
Try To Feel My Pain
