HAIM: I Quit (Polydor)
Verdict: Sun-kissed harmonies
YUNGBLUD: Idols (Island)
Verdict: Electrifying and theatrical
The death last week of Brian Wilson was a timely reminder of the enduring brilliance of classic Californian pop. From Wilson’s Beach Boys to The Byrds and the Eagles, the harmony-soaked sounds of America’s West Coast remain the perfect soundtrack for summer.
The latest exponents of brightly-hued Californian pop are the three Haim sisters, whose songwriting is an inspired mixture of tradition and modernity. Haim’s fourth album, I Quit, is ostensibly a break-up record, but even when Danielle, Este and Alana sing about heartache, they find it hard to stop the sun from breaking through.
‘I hear a voice in my head, and it keeps asking: why am I in this relationship?,’ sings Danielle on Relationships, a track that blends close-knit harmonies with funky drums.
Danielle, who is Haim’s frontwoman, split up with Ariel Rechtshaid, the band’s former producer, in 2022, and she opens up further on Down To Be Wrong: ‘I crushed my whole heart, trying to fit my soul into your arms.’
But the album, with its melodic vocals, shimmering guitars and shuffling grooves, is as much a celebration of single life and the empowering sense of freedom that comes with it, as it is a lament for lost love.
The risqué All Over Me portrays Danielle as a woman taking control. ‘Take off your clothes, unlock your door, ’cause when I come over, you’re gonna get some,’ she sings.
The trio, all in their 30s, also seek refuge from the complications of adult life by harking back to simpler, if still bittersweet, times. Take Me Back is an acoustic account of nightmarish teenage dates triggered by a drive past their childhood home in the San Fernando Valley.
Million Years is similarly nostalgic. ‘Sometimes I sit around and think about the times we used to run around the city with nothing much to do,’ sings Danielle.
Family ties offer another source of strength. Bassist and eldest sister Este handles lead vocals on Cry, and Danielle seeks solace from one of her siblings on The Farm, a folky track in the tradition of the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter scene of the 1970s. ‘My sister said it’s alright,’ she sings. ‘You can stay with me if you need a place to calm down, ‘til you get back on your feet.’
Despite Haim’s American heritage, I Quit is bookended by two musical references from this side of the Atlantic. Opening track Gone samples the euphoric chorus of George Michael’s Freedom! ’90, and Now It’s Time closes the record with an interpolation of U2’s hypnotic Numb. That should work well live, especially as U2 haven’t performed the original since 1993.
‘We were on a huge nostalgic streak while making this album, partly because we were all single at the same time for the first time since high school,’ said Danielle.
As one West Coast pop legend leaves the stage, these three California girls are taking up the baton.
Seven years ago, I stumbled on a show by emerging artist Yungblud in the small London venue Thousand Island.
Just months out of his teens, and singing about gentrification and juvenile disenchantment, he was rough around the edges. But, with a sound that energetically mixed rock and rap, he was clearly one to watch.
Fast-forward to today and the 27-year-old is one of the UK’s most celebrated young musicians. His last two albums both topped the charts, and his back catalogue has been streamed six billion times.
In 2022, he was the subject of a Louis Theroux TV special.
Tomorrow, he curates his own music festival, Bludfest, in Milton Keynes.
All of which heightens the expectations surrounding his fourth album, Idols. Produced with his long-term collaborator, Matt Schwartz, and made in Leeds, not far from Yungblud’s hometown of Doncaster, it doesn’t lack ambition. The first part of an intended double album, and described as ‘a love letter to rock’, it’s bombastic and theatrical.
The singer, real name Dominic Harrison, says the record revolves around the dangers of hero-worship. ‘We turn to others for an identity before looking to ourselves,’ he says. He makes his point on The Greatest Parade (‘all I do is believe you, I need your praise’).
His lyrics elsewhere are garbled, but he delivers them with real commitment.
For all Yungblud’s charisma — he’s spoken eloquently about the need for positive male role models — his music is surprisingly conventional. Hello Heaven, Hello, all nine minutes of it, features Pete Townshend-like power chords and a chorus worthy of peak Bon Jovi.
Zombie, a ballad inspired by the death of his grandmother, recalls the anguished indie-rock of Snow Patrol’s Run.
There are nods, too, to Parklife-era Blur (Lovesick Lullaby), Hunky Dory-era David Bowie (Change) and the special effects pedals used by U2 guitarist The Edge (Ghosts). More originality wouldn’t go amiss. But, as he showed when he was still in the small clubs, he’s an electrifying performer.
Both albums are out today. Haim play Dreamland Margate on June 27. They start a UK tour at Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, on October 24 (ticketmaster.co.uk). Yungblud plays The National Bowl, Milton Keynes, tomorrow [June 21] (axs.com).
