Days Are Gone

Completely detaching oneself from hype can be a tricky thing, and with Haim having spent the best part of a year delaying the release of their debut album, rumblings began to arise in indie camps as the great hopes of 2013 continued to tease them with infrequent updates. In a sad sense, now that Days Are Gone has finally hit shelves, it’s unsurprising to see the remarks of some of the haters currently clogging forums all over the web, complaining that all preceding praise was simply hot air, as another “unremarkable” debut lands with a thud. But in honesty, all Haim have done is put together a wonderfully breezy, light-on-its-feet debut, filled to the brim with some of the most wholesomely enjoyable pop songs of the year.

In fairness, some early signs were slightly worrying. With its release date falling almost fifteen months after that of their breakthrough Forever EP, at least five of the album’s eleven tracks will be familiar to anyone with a passing interest in the group. To further aggravate such concerns, the album opens with three singles in a row, which immediately seems like a risky strategy. Such front-loading methods could have easily sunk the latter half of the record, while simultaneously giving off a false impression of Days Are Gone as nothing more than a disguised Greatest Hits package. But fourth track ‘If I Could Change Your Mind’ is showered with enough Tango in the Night­-era glitter that it seamlessly follows the bittersweet strut of ‘The Wire’. No matter how familiar one is with Haim’s back catalogue, the sequencing is as brisk and well-judged that the album is able to glide comfortably through its course, easily pairing the familiar with the novel.

In fact, in a delightful turn, almost every track lining Days Are Gone is as good as – if not better than – its preceding clutch of singles. All that time spent fine-tuning in the studio was evidently well-spent: the Haim sisters have resisted the rush-release approach now expected of most first-timers. Instead (and with handsome assistance from producers James Ford and Ariel Rechtshaid), they’ve taken the time to polish each song until it sparkles, and such dedicated labour has paid dividends in the long run. Lyrically, Danielle, Este and Alana don’t break new ground, but familiar sentiments are made to sound fresh and invigorating, thanks to the sheer strength of the sisters’ collective vocal displays. These simple vignettes of broken hearts and hollow pleas utterly captivate, underpinned as they are by irresistible melodies, breathless inflections, and tastefully sumptuous girl-group harmonies.

With handsome assistance from producers James Ford and Ariel Rechtstaid, the sisters Haim have taken the time to polish each song until it sparkles, and such dedicated labour has paid dividends in the long run.

Such riches run deep within the album. The title track (featuring the fingerprints of Jessie Ware) is spangled with the most dexterous touch of ’90s soul; live favourite ‘Let Me Go’ is a slow-burning storm of upheaval; and staples ‘Don’t Save Me’ and ‘Falling’ provide sleek, catchy thrills; weaving their way from tight verses to smart, radio-friendly choruses. ‘Honey & I’ is a particular delight: a captivating pop song anchored by a simple three-chord pattern, which, thanks to some lilting harmonies, escalates into a heavenly finale. But if ‘Honey & I’ offers a sweetness to counterbalance the melancholy, ‘My Song 5’ is its antithesis. The latter is the album’s only real curveball: a left-field stomp of robo-rhythms and bitter kiss-offs (most tellingly, the refrain of “honey, I’m not your honey pie”). Toughened by grinding guitars and treated vocals, it’s a stinging rebuke, and destined to be regarded as the album’s standout by many devotees.

Ultimately, Days Are Gone probably won’t be remembered as a masterpiece – a fact that will give many trigger-happy sceptics much perverse joy. But at the end of the day, Haim never really promised an “event” album: they simply carved out their own path as the hype worked its mischief elsewhere. The group has lived up to its manifestos, remained true to its early sounds, and had good fun in the process by the look of it. And that’s why we should be embracing Days Are Gone for exactly what it is: a truly excellent assemblage of immaculate pop songs. And sometimes, that’s more – much more – than enough.

Similar To: TLC, Fleetwood Mac

MP3: ‘Falling’, ‘Honey & I’, ‘Days Are Gone’