Sisters in sweet harmony

Haim Women In Music Pt III Out now

There are bands that become well established while remaining a mystery to many music- lovers. You may be vaguely aware that Haim are three sisters from Los Angeles, or that they get compared to Fleetwood Mac. But do you know any of their songs? Or even how to say their name?

Those puzzled by the pronunciation include the sisters themselves, who can be found on YouTube disagreeing about it. They decide, by a majority of two to one, that it’s not Hime or Hame – it’s more like Higham.

After the platinum- selling debut Days Are Gone, and the less successful follow- up Something To Tell You, Haim have made their third album. It’s called Women In Music Pt III because (from far left) Este, Danielle and Alana Haim are fed up with being asked about being women in music. They have a point – nobody ever asks male stars about being men in music.

This sassiness supplies the vinegar in a recipe that might otherwise be too sweet. As singers, the Haims bring the smooth harmonies of all the great sibling acts from the Andrews Sisters to the Bee Gees. As tunesmiths, they love a good hook.

They mostly co- write with their producers, Ariel Rechtshaid, who is also Danielle’s boyfriend, and Rostam Batmanglij, who used to be in Vampire Weekend. Batmanglij brings a breezy eclecticism, with nods to T. Rex, Lou Reed, even trad jazz and dub reggae.

Just one track is reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac – Don’t Wanna, which does wanna be like Christine McVie’s Everywhere.

On I’ve Been Down and I Know Alone, Danielle deals with depression and still manages to sparkle. Only the heaviest number, All That Ever Mattered, is hard to like. If you’re new to Haim, start with The Steps, a simple strum that billows into a banger.