Nostalgia is a powerful tool, and a dangerous one when wielded by the wrong band. Luckily, Haim have skirted the thorny divide between authenticity and parody on their debut album, turning in a batch of songs built for a golden age of radio.
The sisters - Este, Danielle and Alana - have been on a good old fashioned charm offensive in recent months, landing with an endearing, witty thud at every radio station and festival worth its salt, with ‘Days Are Gone’ the pay-off that plenty have been eagerly awaiting.
It’s packed to the gills with summery hooks, smooth guitars and synths that went out with Bonnie Tyler’s shoulder pads, and bubbling underneath are pop songs that put many current chart staples to shame.
The Wire, Falling, Don’t Save Me and Forever have been doing the rounds for some time, offering a glimpse of just what the trio have been cooking up during the protracted recording process, and if they really, desperately wanted to rekindle the ‘80s pop-rock boom, then they probably should have stopped there.
But they haven’t. There’s precious little filler here and even when they stumble, there’s something eminently listenable about their mis-steps.
If I Could Change Your Mind is a massive highlight, boasting a chorus that won’t quit and all the makings of an AOR mainstay. Honey & I briefly conjures images of Vampire Weekend’s early stuff before being quickly reclaimed with a hushed vocal, while Go Slow also mines similar territory successfully.
The wheels begin to come off when ‘Days Are Gone’ stumbles into sludgy electronic territory on My Song 5 and Send Me Down, which are a couple of sore thumbs on the tracklisting, while the familiarity of certain synth and guitar sounds at times lends a strange meta air to proceedings that the record doesn’t really have any response to.
Still, it’s pretty clear that Haim are going to be around for a while. They’re just too good at what they do not to become a big deal, and ‘Days Are Gone’ will leave its share of pop casualties with that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
Wed December 4th 2013 - NORWICH UEA
Thu December 5th 2013 - BIRMINGHAM The Institute
Fri December 6th 2013 - LEEDS Leeds Metropolitan University
Sun December 8th 2013 - MANCHESTER The Ritz
Mon December 9th 2013 - LONDON The Forum
Tue December 10th 2013 - LONDON The Forum
Thu December 12th 2013 - GLASGOW O2 ABC
Fri December 13th 2013 - DUBLIN Academy
Tue March 4th 2014 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Thu March 6th 2014 - LONDON Brixton Academy
Fri March 7th 2014 - BRIGHTON Dome
Sat March 8th 2014 - MANCHESTER Academy,
Mon March 10th 2014 - DUBLIN Olympia Theatre
Tue March 11th 2014 - SHEFFIELD O2 Academy Sheffield
Wed March 12th 2014 - GLASGOW Barrowland
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