Alright, I’m not going to lie, I bought Haim’s third full-length album solely based on their performance of “3 A.M.” on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Yes, it was slightly subdued and a little quiet, but something about it just clicked with me and for whatever reason that was the only convincing I needed. I have been a Haim fan since the beginning, but their sophomore album was a supreme disappointment to me. That, and they were touring with Taylor Swift. Pass. But this rock trio of sisters have managed to redeem themselves in my eyes!
That’s not to say I loved this record. In fact, I think it will be hard for them to ever release something as strong as Days Are Gone, but Women in Music Pt III is certainly a step in the right direction. While their debut album sort of had one feel to it, their latest effort takes a lot of different genres and melds them into something that is so purely Haim. And they blessed us with 16 tracks! That’s almost unheard of nowadays.
A lot of the songs had Danielle singing in the lightest register of her range, and those tracks were a little slow-paced and almost dreamlike, but that’s not to say they didn’t throw in some groovy tunes! Those are the ones I’d love to hear in a live setting. While I didn’t like one of their singles, “The Step,” all that much, I can’t deny how damn catchy it was! Sort of called back in a way to “The Wire.” The indie radio stations also played a lot of “Now I’m in It” and “Summer Girl,” which at the time I didn’t really pay any attention to (mainly for how disappointing that second record was). Upon a dedicated listen though, “Now I’m in It” is just wonderful. And very deep! Apparently it is referencing a period of depression lead singing sister, Danielle, went through.
I would say of the 16 songs on the album, I really only liked half of them. Although I’m sure if I gave it another listen I would probably latch onto more. With that being said, standout tracks for me included “I Know Alone,” “3 A.M.,” and “Don’t Wanna.” The weakest songs to me were “Gasoline” and “Los Angeles,” but that had a lot do do with me not liking the style they played with. Not for me, but it could be for you! All in all, it was a nice ride down Haim lane and I hope they can get to touring next year, because this is a group that demands to be seen live!