Project Description

HAIM – Right Now (Single Review)

It’s late on a Thursday night, April 27th. While a quiet night in my corner of the geographical world, my corner of the Internet world was abuzz anticipating a word from HAIM, a band on the cusp of their long-awaited sophomore album, Something To Tell You. After being teased via video earlier in the week, fans were hanging on for something, anything, from one of the most promising up-and-coming indie pop bands in the world right now. And Right Now is what they got— a music video of the band recording the bare bones of the song in the studio. It was good; it was HAIM, it was a visual one-shot wonder… but it was obviously not the final mix. I resigned myself to waiting for the album.

I’d waited for four years. I could wait another two months.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon, May 12th. Imagine my surprise when I check Spotify, and Right Now is already available as a single. I play the track, and while it bears resemblance to the video, it’s definitely the final album track. How HAIM managed to drop this without anyone noticing is absurd. Their Twitter has been awash with teaser videos and song lyrics from their first proper single release from the album, Want You Back, for the past week. While released so quietly into the world mere hours before writing this, I know Right Now is bound to make waves. The track is so radically different from any of the studio mixes HAIM have dropped before. As a longtime fan, I initially feel offended by the sound— but then, HAIM has never shied away from confronting sounds before. I have to abandon my preconceptions before trying again.

A simple electric organ echoes back and forth between my earphones, and the sound sucks me back into the music video. I feel like I’m there in the studio with the band, leaning over frontwoman Danielle Haim’s shoulder as she sings into space and lays down the acoustic piano that will in all likelihood characterise the new album. The wall behind me crumbles beneath the force of rhythm guitarist Alana’s overdriven guitar in the second verse, and the floor falls away to a bridge suspended by bassist Este’s spoken interlude. It’s a sensational experience, overwhelming in its boldness and dynamic. By the time the track ends, my heartbeat is keeping time with the drums echoing beyond the borders of the playback bar, and I am shaking.

I’m not even kidding. HAIM could have spent three of the four years they slaved on the new album on this track alone, and I’d believe it. For a track that arrived with so little fanfare, it screams boldly, and suddenly July 7th can’t come soon enough.

Bravo, HAIM. I’m in love all over again.

AMNPLIFY KS

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