Ever since the all-sister trio of HAIM released their Forever EP in June 2012, fans have been patiently awaiting the California indie pop band’s debut album as they continue to claim industry buzz and sell out shows worldwide.
Currently in the country as part of the mammoth festival lineup for Splendour In The Grass, HAIM have confirmed that not only have they finished work on their highly anticipated debut LP, but that Australia has marked the creative endpoint of their journey to their first ever full-length album, as TheMusic reports.
Performing at Sydney’s The Hi Fi last night in a sold out Splendour sideshow, the sisters of HAIM – lead singer/guitarist Danielle, eldest bass-playing Este, and younger multi-instrumentlist Alana – told the crowd that Australia “is now a part of HAIM history,” referring to having completed work on their debut LP at local recording facility Studios 301.
A representative from Sydney’s Studios 301 has confirmed that the band arrived late last week and instantly went into the recording studio to finish up work on their debut album before this past Monday. HAIM spent the weekend listening to final mixes of their album with in-house producer Simon Cohen before deciding on a final version at their Monday deadline. The band told the crowd that Australia “is now a part of HAIM history,” referring to having completed work on their debut LP [in Sydney].
HAIM aren’t the first high-profile international act to wing their way through Studios 301, with the studio’s CV including work for Coldplay Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen and Muse, as well as local acts like The Living End, The eRubens and The Jezabels.
In-house producer/engineer Simon Cohen has himself worked on sessions with a range of Aussie hip-hop favourites, such as Urthboy, Spit Syndicate, Dialectrix, and M-Phazes, as well a pop stars such as Jessica Mauboy and Spice Girl Mel B. A mix that likely drew him to HAIM who have listed 90s RnB and hip-hop as much as influence on their sound as the sunny West Coast rock and pop of the 70s that their parents surrounded them with as kids.
While there is no set name or release date for HAIM’s debut album, the sisters have previously hinted that they’re looking at a release before the end of the year, and will likely include their popular single releases such as ‘Forever’, ‘Don’t Save Me’, and this year’s ‘Falling’.
“I think we’ve been writing this record our whole lives. It’s a culmination of everything we’ve done,” Este Haim told the Huffington Post last month. “Since we were kids we’ve been very observant and always journaled. So it’s mostly about our observations, keeping everything in, stories we’ve heard; an amalgamation of everything we are.”
Meanwhile, in a recent Gigwise interview, 21-year old Alana Haim hyped the album, “It’s awesome and it’s coming,” while her older sibling Danielle added, “we like to keep it a secret. The record is the only thing we’ve only ever kept a secret in our entire career because it’s our baby. It’s so close to being out and we’re super excited about it.
Speaking to Tone Deaf last month, Este says the band have been “so excited” to play Down Under for the first time and chiefly thanks to the country’s eye candy. “I’ve seen Australians and y’all are super banging, everyone’s super attractive,” said the 24-year-old. “Every Australian that I’ve ever met has been either a six foot four surfer model babe or a beautiful, magical, blonde wizardess.”
HAIM play a sold out sideshow at Melbourne’s Hi-Fi tonight before playing Splendour In The Grass tomorrow afternoon.
