By Lisanne Cheizoo
Business Manager
Every now and then there are artists who seem to have reached star-status before you’ve even heard any of their songs. Lana Del Rey managed to pull it off by becoming a cult symbol before the radio stations started to play her music. The same seemed to go for the American girl band HAIM (pronounced HIGH-im), who graced the stages of Glastonbury and Lowlands this summer, after only having released an EP. On September 30, however, HAIM released their first album, titled “Days Are Gone”.
Consisting of three California-born sisters, Este, Danielle and Alana, HAIM has been around since 2007 doing gigs in California and surrounding states. After they signed a contract with Polydor Records, the sisters released their first EP “Forever” in February 2012. The EP, featuring the single of the same name, became an instant hit amongst musicians worldwide. In December 2012, the follow up single “Don’t Save Me” was released and was received with even more praise and acclaim.
In the meantime, HAIM was already so widely acclaimed by the media and the music industry that the expectations for their debut album were almost too high to be met. Luckily, these assumptions were more than justified. With “Days Are Gone”, HAIM’s long-awaited debut album rightly lives up to all its expectations.
“Days Are Gone” is a smooth mix of 70s and 80s soft-rock, with songs that seem to be inspired by Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and even a bit of Kate Bush. Due to this, some people might consider HAIM old-fashioned or unoriginal. They could not be more wrong; the band has managed to use this 80s vibe while adding new elements like spiced up guitar riffs with smooth synthesizers and sultry lyrics.
The entire album seems to be an effortless tribute to modern day culture, merging different subcultures into one. “Days Are Gone” consists of eleven tracks and there is not a single bad one among them. Whether you like the catchy pop-anthem “Don’t Save Me” or the more sultry “Let Me Go”, this debut album has something in it for everyone.
Overall, “Days Are Gone” is one of the most anticipated albums of this autumn, and not without reason: with its effortless beats, smart lyrics and amazing combination of styles, this album is unique in its own way and hopefully paves the way for more amazing follow up albums. With this debut, HAIM proves that they are here to stay.
Lisanne Cheizoo, class of 2015, is a Literature and Theatre & Media Studies major from Uden, The Netherlands.
