Our fair city has been overcast and humid the past couple of days. And, although summer is supposed to be here, we need some poppy, happy music to make get us through the day today.
The all-girl, all-sister (+ one drummer) group HAIM isn't necessarily new to the music scene, but their first album release later this summer is much anticipated among the music crowd, who has been the band's cheerleaders since their first EP, Forever, was released in 2012.
The girls grew up in a family band (The Drift's dream childhood!), playing with their parents around their SoCal town. As the sisters grew, their desire to create their own music did too, and the two older sisters, Este and Danielle, started their on band, bringing in more current R&B and Hip-Hop influences into their rock-pop sound.
Danielle really hit it big when she was asked to play with Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley fame), first on drums, then as a touring guitar player. Julian Casablancas of the Strokes happened to see her play a show and offered her a spot on his solo tour. Once HAIM started practicing together, he also had the band open for him.
The Fates have certainly been kind to this "three sisters and a mister" act. And we don't blames them! HAIM's sound is fresh, poppy tunage that doesn't sound too over-produced or contrived. The perfectly-balanced harmonies and clean vocals can be traced back to the girls' music education in college and the seamless melding of funk bass lines and pop vocals are a result of their love of 90's groups like TLC.
The "long hair, don't care" and SoCal style of the sisters don't hurt either....
