5 HAIM Songs You’ll Want To Play On Repeat

If you don’t know the band HAIM, you’re seriously missing out on some excellent music. An American pop/indie rock band, HAIM (pronounced “high-em” after the Hebrew word for “life”) is made up of sisters Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim. The three played music growing up and formed the cover band Rockinhaim with their parents Moti and Donna. Despite forming HAIM in 2007, they didn’t become a full-time band until Danielle returned from touring with Jenny Lewis and Julian Casablancas in 2012.

All three sisters sing and play various other instruments; Este plays bass, Danielle plays guitar, and Alana plays guitar and the keyboard. The three have rejected the “girl band” label with the explanation that often, calling a group a “girl band” has negative connotations, and they’d rather just be musicians of their own merits.

Apparently, other artists have found their merits impressive; HAIM has toured with Florence and the Machine, Vampire Weekend, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, the Killers, and Kings of Leon, among other groups. Be sure to check out these HAIM songs and get your groove on!

“The Wire”

Although it may sound contradictory, “The Wire” is an upbeat breakup song, and it’s perfect for blasting in the car with the windows rolled down. The percussive elements are great, and it’s a fun sing-along. If you’re ever trying to break up with someone without passing around blame, this song may give you some assistance.

The singer notes that she “didn’t go and try to change my mind/ not intentionally” and that she simply fell out of love with the other person. They’ve grown apart, and it happens sometimes.

“Want You Back”

Just like the Jackson 5 hit with the same name, “Want You Back” is a song that expresses regret over a relationship ending as the narrator has since realized she loves her ex. In this song, she promises to “give you all the love I never gave before I left you,” and declares that she’s ready for a relationship in a way that she wasn’t before.

Fun fact about the music video: the women were initially going to drive down Ventura Boulevard for the video but after a car crash, they decided to walk instead (no one was hurt in the crash). So rather than a cruise down the boulevard, they’re instead grooving and, incidentally, showing what I look like when I’m listening to the song and trying to play all of the air instruments.

“Little Of Your Love”

This HAIM song asks a “recovering heart” to be open to starting a relationship with the singer despite having been hurt before by other people. It’s a super fun jam to dance along to, as shown by the music video where the women dance with a crowd in a bar. The ’50s rock vibe was intentional, as discussed by the sisters in an interview with Pitchfork when Danielle said that they wanted to reinterpret a ’50s vibe in 2017 when the song was released.

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“Kept Me Crying”

This isn’t quite a break-up song, more of an “I know I should break up with you but I can’t” song. Even though the singer knows it isn’t healthy or fair to her to continue seeing a person, she still cares about them and wants to see them. It details her transition in the other person’s life from lover and friend to “only just someone you call/ when it’s late enough to forget,” and given the nature of hook-up culture in young adulthood, the song is super relatable.

“If I Could Change Your Mind”

This is somewhat similar to “Want You Back,” with both songs telling the story of a singer who wants to get back together with her ex once she realizes she loves them. However, this bop has an amazing retro ’80s aesthetic that’s reminiscent of Whitney Houston’s and Madonna’s earlier works. It’s nearly impossible to listen to this jam only once, and the beat makes it irresistibly dance-worthy. If this tune doesn’t make you want to get up and move, I don’t know what will.