From Condescending Guitar Center Encounters to Grief: HAIM's "Women In Music Pt. III" Tackles It All
Photo courtesy of the HAIM Facebook page
“Man from the music shop, I drove too far/ For you to hand me that starter guitar.”
With Joni Mitchell-inspired acoustic chords and simplistic vocals, HAIM targets perhaps the most oppressive force against female musicians with their track, “Man from the Magazine”: the bushy-bearded condescension of male Guitar Center workers.
Women In Music Pt. III, the junior release from the L.A.-based rock group, is full of honesty and vulnerability. Lyrical wars are waged on those who have abandoned loyalty to their hometown (“Los Angeles”), the idea of isolation (“I Know Alone”), and reluctant exes (“All That Ever Mattered”), but a theme of feminism stands at the helm of the piece. Never shy in asserting themselves, the Haim sisters have taken this album as an opportunity to make their alternative rock residency concrete through provocative compositional experimentation as well.
Despite the occasional traditional track, featuring familiar drum beats and pop-infused riffs, the band has found a new place in their catalogue for an electronica influence. Songs like “Gasoline” experiment with instrumental modifications, delving into a territory that attempts to mix genres. “All That Ever Mattered” features reverberating vocals and shrieks in the background of each chorus alongside a raucous electric guitar.
The insertion of women in rock is nothing new, yet the rock community still struggles to grasp full acceptance of a female presence. Along with “Man from the Magazine” ( which addresses bass player Este’s confrontation from a male reporter who questioned if she made her famous “bass face” in bed), the album confronts sexism with “Leaning on You,” an anthem for women who prioritize acceptance in relationships over those that can feel confining.
Perhaps the most personal track the band has released is “FUBT,” a confessional from the perspective of an abused partner. “It’s fucked up but it’s true/ That I love you like I do,” lead vocalist Danielle croons. A lone electric guitar holds the track together, interlaced with harmony at the end of each verse. These quiet moments, rare for HAIM, are also felt with “Hallelujah,” an acoustic ballad referencing the untimely death of a family friend and the sacredness of their sisterhood. “Three roads, one life.”
It is the lyrical content of Women in Music Pt. III that creates such a diversion from the band's former work. It is sonically complex, yet somehow cohesive, balancing the fine line between overworking pop qualities and overloading slower tracks. When it dips into a soft moment, it feels welcome and comforting. HAIM has been carving their space into the male-dominated rock scene for nearly thirteen years, and this piece only serves as continuation in this effort.
Listen to Women in Music Pt. III on Apple Music and Spotify.