HAIM

The amazing thing about music is that new legends are constantly in the making. Although here at Penta we love to dip back into the past to unearth and celebrate icons that have influenced our brand, sometimes greatness is much closer in time. This month we pay our respects to HAIM – who entered the stage just 10 years ago and have had us hooked ever since with their perfect mix of soft rock and pop.

 

A quick crash course in case you somehow managed to avoid a band that has won 4 NME Awards and one Brit Award…

 

HAIM is actually the surname of the three band members: sisters Este, Danielle and Alana. Hailing from a very musical family in Los Angeles, they have been playing instruments since they were kids – and technically HAIM started in 2007. However, the girls did not take this career too seriously for a few more years, mostly focusing on playing covers at weddings and being support musicians for other more established bands. Things changed when Danielle was noticed by Jenny Lewis and Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) – with the latter pushing her to write more original material and focus on recording.

 

2012 was the year of the breakthrough, with their single “Forever” and the first album “Days Are Gone”. After making waves at the influential South by Southwest festival, they were signed on by Polydor Records and started touring the UK – the country that believed in them the perhaps most right from the start. Supporting the likes of Florence and the Machine and Mumford & Sons, they made a name for themselves with their onstage antics and high-octane live performances filled with unbridled energy and a much heavier rock sound compared to their polished studio albums.

 

By January 2013, the BBC had placed them at spot #1 in their annual music industry poll about best upcoming artists. From then on, it has been strike after strike: sold out concerts, countless awards, three full-length albums, 17 catchy singles and… countless hilarious TikToks and IG reels. Because in addition to their flawless skills at playing instruments (Real guitars! Bass! In 2022! That alone is quite an achievement…), beautiful singing and song-writing, part of HAIM’s irresistible charm is their goofiness, dorkiness, honesty and simplicity. The sisters are musicians but could easily have become actresses, and in fact – they recently did. Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically acclaimed “Licorice Pizza”, out in 2021, is splendidly and convincingly fronted by Alana, with the older two sisters playing smaller roles.

 

So, leave your purism at the door and embrace the perfect mix of rock, pop and R&B that makes HAIM so unique.

 

Still credits: “HAIM - Want You Back (Official Video)”, uploaded by HAIM to YouTube