You may remember a piece Joey did earlier on in the year entitled, “5 Acts You Should Know: The UK Does It Better.” If not, then you should probably read that first. Done? Good. Now, onto a little band called Haim.
Known for their infectious concert energy and sweet dance moves, Haim is a band consisting of three sisters from the Valley. (That’s the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, for those of you who aren’t familiar with California lingo.) Este, Danielle and Alana Haim have been playing music together basically since they came out of the womb. Growing up, the sisters perfected their musical craft by playing in a classic rock band, aptly named Rockinhaim, with their parents. Now that they are all in their 20s, the trio is flying solo with Danielle as the guitar-playing lead vocalist, Alana on keyboard and rhythm guitar, Este on bass and drummer Dash Hutton.
Playing percussion-driven, indie rock that features vocal harmonies that resemble those in modern R&B songs, it’s hard to label Haim’s sound as a single genre. I’d have to say they are a mix of rock and indie pop with a splash of modern R&B. Really though, I don’t care what you wanna call it, these sisters are damn talented and that’s that. Did I mention that they’re pretty damn charming, too? Maybe it’s the laid-back California vibe they’ve got going on or the fact that they are so down-to-earth, but these girls have some serious charisma. They tell it like it is and are always down to crack a joke at their own expense in between songs or share some crazy stories during interviews. Recounting tales like receiving their first ever creepy message that was slipped under their hotel room door after playing a show in Palm Springs or Este almost getting arrested at a Prince concert for trying to climb on stage, it’s never a dull moment with the Haim sisters. A personal favorite Haim moment of mine is when Este gave out her phone number during their show at iTunes Festival last year, just because she felt like it. Anyone can see that they are doing what they do for the love of it and just want to share that love with the rest of the world.
Collaborating with artists such as A$AP Rocky and Kid Cudi and touring with bands such as Florence + The Machine and Mumford & Sons, Haim shows off their creative versatility and ability to play in the big leagues. Over the past couple of months the girls have been killing the festival circuit, playing at huge events like Glastonbury, T in the Park and Firefly Music Festival. The trio is currently performing all over the globe until the end of October and will be embarking on a tour with Phoenix in November. With all of the attention they’ve garnered, you’d think they would have a platinum album by now. Nope, they haven’t even released their first album yet, just an EP in 2012 and a few singles in 2013. To think that they have found so much success from just an EP, it’s hard to imagine what the release of their first studio album will be like (which will be released sometime this year…I hope).
For now, here are a few of their tunes and a video of their live show that you should definitely watch: