Album Review HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III

From the jazz saxophone flurry at the start of album opener ‘Los Angeles’, it’s clear that HAIM’s third studio ‘Women In Music Pt III’ isn’t pulling any punches. Across sixteen tracks, the trio expertly explore their every musical whim, delving into ‘90s R&B on the groove-laden ‘3AM’, heavy distortion on ‘Up From A Dream’, minimalist guitar balladry on ‘FUBT’, and exceptional pop on ‘Now I’m In It’.

“I think on this record we’ve all collectively realised how freeing it is to say ‘fuck it’ and truly mean it,” Alana Haim claims triumphantly in a press release, summarising a record that embodies their personality, something that has so often taken centre stage. ‘Women In Music Pt III’ is a response to the music industry’s need to pigeonhole its creators; a defiance to fall into line with the knowing wink that has underpinned many of HAIM’s public appearances.

The critique continues in the record’s title, a reference to the widespread habit of separating creativity by gender. On the stripped back ‘Man From The Magazine’, HAIM overtly recall interviews in which their gender became the main focus. In response, ‘Women In Music Pt. III’ acts as an irreverent middle finger to both convention and expectation, and succeeds through the sheer brilliance of its songwriting and the trio’s palpable love of their craft. While perfectly capturing the zeitgeist, HAIM carry the passion, creativity and joy to also cement ‘Women In Music Pt. III’ as a timeless classic.