“I’ve been down,” Haim admit midway through Women in Music Pt. III. No shit, Sally. From the opening words of the California sisters’ third full-length (“Los Angeles / Give me a miracle, I just want out from this”) to its full-circle final tune (“L.A. on my mind / I can’t breathe”), this is easily the trio’s darkest disc. Granted, these tales of disillusionment, dissatisfaction and dysfunction aren’t coming straight out of the blue; all the sisters reportedly were battling depression due to a slate of personal hardships experienced before and during the making of the album. But what is a surprise — in the best possible way — is how magnificently they rebounded and responded on the musical level: Despite its darker tones, Women in Music Pt. III also happens to be the band’s most bold, advanced and adventurous outing. Pushing the envelope both stylistically and sonically, Haim put their sunny, summery pop-rock in the rear-view and head headlong into freakier, freer and far more fearlessly creative terrain that embraces anything and everything. From sax-fuelled reggae-pop and Afrobeat-tinged folk to post-modern electro-rock, futuristic R&B, old-school homages to Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell and even a track that revamps a guitar lick from Mountain’s Mississippi Queen, it’s all here. And it’s all more than vibrant enough to brighten even their blackest of their lyrical corners. So make no mistake: They’ve been down. But things are undeniably looking up for Haim.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Women In Music Pt. III is the followup to Haim’s sophomore album, Something To Tell You, which was released in July 2017. Speaking on the new album release date, the band add, “Now that we’re all starting to settle into our new normal, it feels like a more appropriate time for us to release this body of work. We’re so excited to announce that our new album will now be released on June 26.” Danielle Haim co-produced the new album along with longtime collaborators Grammy Award-winning producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Adele, Blood Orange, Carly Rae Jepsen) and Rostam Batmanglij (Charli XCX, Solange, Frank Ocean).”
