Haim Talk About The Art of Giving Up on I Quit
I Quit is the fourth studio album by Haim, the rock band composed of sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim.
Largely a breakup album, the title references this subject matter but also works as a tongue-in-cheek callback to their previous album, Women in Music Pt. III (2020).
The album begins with Gone’s opening lyrics, “Can I have your attention, please / For the last time before I leave?” Starting with this announcement of an imminent departure establishes the concept of I Quit. This song samples George Michael’s Freedom! ‘90 in the chorus. Through this interpolation, Haim equates freedom with being “gone” and escaping people’s expectations, which sets the tone of empowerment for the album. The second track, All Over Me, uses this empowerment in the context of a situationship that the speaker wants to define on her own terms. The soft rock groove and guitar solo highlight the song’s commanding sensuality.
The album’s lead single, Relationships, was released in March. The catchy melodies and high vocal register pair excellently with the wide piano chords, vibrant drums and funky bass line. In the bridge, these elements are repurposed with a new sound and new lyrics. This track ties into the breakup theme but is more a reflection on how romantic relationships can encourage negative behavioural patterns.
In a sonic contrast, Down to Be Wrong begins with a verse in a much lower vocal register. The third single released ahead of the album, it has a slow build in song form and instrumentation. The track is complete with some highlighted guitar moments and a nostalgic fade-out.
The next track, Take Me Back, has a very unique sound, with talking verses and even a harmonica feature. It contains an amalgamation of specific memories as the speaker reminisces on and romanticises her youth. Love You Right turns back to the subject of romance gone wrong. The song plays with wide instrumental landscapes and focused piano sounds. The speaker has been making compromises in a relationship and wants the same in return, but admits that “it’s hard to love you right”. Another song about giving up on a relationship is The Farm. It has an acoustic sound, veering on the country genre, with claps for percussion. Thematically, it is a bittersweet look at the logistics of a breakup when you share property and possessions: “we could sell the farm, just buy me out”.
Lucky Stars juxtaposes a grungy electric guitar with soft vocals and a mostly static melody. The song is about chance and fate in romantic relationships, with a positive perspective this time, as the speaker voices gratitude for this new connection. In another moment of emotional whiplash, Million Years commits to chasing someone indefinitely, long after a breakup, “even if it takes a million years”. The spoken intro filled with existential questions about the passage of time is complemented by the quick beat and fast drums. The next song, Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out, was the second promotional single for the album. This track leans into an early 2000s emo rock sound, with the theme of wanting to be left alone with feelings of anxiety. The tempo slows for the chantlike outro, which mirrors a heartbeat slowing down after a panic attack.
Try to Feel My Pain has a surprisingly funky and upbeat sound, considering its subject matter. The soft vocals do reflect the theme of not being over a breakup, but these are contrasted by the chord progressions and guitar riffs reminiscent of The Steps. Beginning with a Haim classic of transitioning footsteps into drums, Spinning shifts into an electronic synth sound. The quick beat juxtaposed with long piano notes as well as the layered ending of the song evoke the confusing feeling of dizziness and “spinning”. Cry opens like a ballad but then becomes an upbeat song. While Danielle is the band’s lead singer, this song predominantly features Este’s vocals. The music is deceptively positive, with bouncy chords, despite her singing about crying.
Blood On the Street has a great drum intro that breaks into a bluesy sound with bare bones instrumentation. All three sisters take turns singing on this laid-back track with catchy vocal melodies and a guitar solo. The final song on the album, Now It’s Time, describes reclaiming one’s power and leaving an ex in the past. Instrumentation varies throughout the song while the vocal line remains constant, demonstrating how the speaker holds her own. The climax of the song, and the thesis of the album overall, comes with the silence and instrumental break following the line, “it’s time to let go”.
Overall, this album spans a wide breadth of emotions and sounds, from giddiness to frustration to nostalgia. The prevailing theme of I Quit is just that: a resignation to stop trying and to let go of feelings. Ironically, this sentiment of giving up resulted in a 15-track album, which goes to show how sadness and exhaustion can sometimes be repurposed into creativity with new ideas and experiences. For fans and listeners, this album represents an opportunity for catharsis and uninhibited self-expression.
