Ronan O'BrienThe Haim sisters are back with their fourth album, I quit. And it’s great timing for anyone who just dumped their piece of shit ex. This one’s for you.
Sister Act
Haim are a family. By that, I don’t only mean their close relationship, but the fact that the three of them are related by blood. The sisters, Danielle, Alana and Este grew up with music in their veins. All nepotism aside, the Haim sisters cannot be denied of their musical talents. The trio began playing together from an early age, starting as Rockenhaim, a cover band who played weddings. Leaving music to the side to pursue college education, the trio briefly went their separate ways. But this was just the beginning.
The success started with Danielle, who was discovered by and subsequently toured with Jenny Lewis. This tour led her to be spotted by Julian Casablancas, who employed her as guitarist and percussionist for his solo tour. Following this tour, she successfully auditioned as a backing musician for CeeLo Green. This success was fantastic for her as a young musician, but ultimately she wanted to play music with her sisters instead, leaving it all to form Haim.
Following a number of successful performances and festival appearances, Haim were quickly signed to Polydor. Their debut album, Days Are Gone, was a big success for the sisters, reaching platinum certification in the UK. Their sophomore album, Something To Tell You, did not quite reach the same heights, but was met with commercial and critical acclaim. The huge success did come in 2020 though, with their third album, Women In Music Pt III. This fantastic album is Haim at their finest, the production and creativity in this album is something to behold. Unsurprisingly, the album was nominated for Album Of The Year at the 63rd Grammy Awards in 2021.
I quit
I quit is fifteen songs long, and according to Alana Haim, “it’s the closest we have ever gotten to how we wanted to sound”. The sound is closer to their first album than any of their other work, which appeals to many fans, but not me. The themes explored are mostly of relationships and breakups. This is even portrayed in the album cover itself, but most notably in the artwork of the singles. Each single pays homage to famous paparazzi captures of celebrity breakups, like Kate Moss and Nicole Kidman.
Gone
The album opens with filtered acoustic guitar and advertises the album brilliantly with the opening line, “Can I have your attention please? / For the last time before I leave.” The song serves as an introduction to the album, especially thematically, as it feels like Danielle is telling her ex that she’s leaving without regrets. The vocal melody does sound a bit ripped-off at first, but the inclusion of George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90“ explains that.
As introductions go, it’s okay. It feels as though there’s more to come from the album than there actually was. It’s laid back in a careless way with acquiesce but it does sound thrown together with little thought. It was the final song written for the album per Alana Haim, “it felt like we really needed an introduction to the world of I quit.” There is little creativity to it; the lyrics are repetitive and simple, and the guitar solo in the middle is completely nonsensical.
Relationships
The lead single from the album, “Relationships” features some of the smoothest instrumentals in the album. The bass is groovy, the drums are firmly in the pocket and the piano tops it off with beautiful melodies. Lyrically, the song explores complexities of relationships of all kinds. The song addresses turmoil in relationships, where love and frustration can cause a multitude of problems. It not only refers to relationships in a romantic sense, but in families too. It points to the emotional baggage we carry in relationships and noting it from our parents; “Or is it just the shit our parents did / And had to live with it / In their relationship?”
The song itself was most likely influenced from Danielle’s separation from her partner, Ariel Rechtshaid, who stood as a long-time producer for the band. I quit was the first album released by the group without Rechtshaid on production duties. Although understandable, I for one would have loved to hear the album had he been involved in the production, á la Rumours.
Take me back
Unlike the majority of the album, this song doesn’t necessarily explore relationships ending. “Take me back” is reminiscent of the past; it feels like the type of song that’s played over a montage of videos from your youth. It’s upbeat, it’s a bit fun in a way and the glockenspiel supporting the melody gives the song a feeling of childhood. Instrumentally it’s a fantastic showcase of the sisters’ talents, with the guitar tone being the best on the entire album. The backing vocals are provided by the other sisters, who give the song a sense of unity. It makes sense, seeing as they all grew up together.
Lyrically, it falls flat yet again. The lyrics are simple, repetitive and almost childlike at times. There is a narration element to the lyrics, but that’s about all it has to offer. The creativity simply isn’t there, and it’s evident in lyrics like “Had a bald spot, now it’s a parking lot”, which appear to be shoved into the song for rhyming purposes.
Now it’s time (for a conclusion)
I quit is the perfect title for this album. From the singers perspective, it’s an admission of being done with someone or something and essentially checking out of caring. For me as the listener, it was how I felt towards the end of the album unfortunately. Perhaps the bar was set too high with Women In Music Part III, but I found myself losing interest for the album by the halfway point. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible. I just think it lacks the creativity their previous album had. When trying to force myself back in to it, the lyrics would push me back out. So I thought to myself, “I quit”.
