Haim – Days Are Gone

ACE THOUGH IT IS, Haim's glossy, ear-candy-rich pop is a world away from the raucous cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well you can see these San Fernando Valley gals nail on YouTube. So while My Song 5 and Let Me Go make room for Daniella Haim's s inventive guitar riffage, much of Days Are Gone packs bubblegum snare, toe-stubbing synth bass, and contemporised ’80s pop trappings that evoke everything from Scritti Politti's Cupid & Psyche 85 to Laura Branigan’s Self Control. There’s more, too: The Wire hitches the drum groove from Andrew Gold’s Never Let Her Slip Away to a beautifully syncopated vocal, while joyous Afro-pop stand-out Honey & I works Paul Simon-like magic with a grooving three chord trick. Fantastic stuff, and it’s no surprise to learn that Este Haim has an ‘ology’ (a degree in ethnomusicology, no less). Listen to Let Me Go from the album:

And watch the video for The Wire: