"Days Are Gone" - Haim

I first saw Este, Danielle and Alana perform at end of last year, opening for Florence and the Machine at Liverpool's O2 Arena - the three stylish, sassy and unconventionally beautiful sisters' set of drum circles and rock and roll had the audience right under their spell. I felt like they were an accidental discovery of mine until January, when they won the BBC's Sound of 2013 award, and it seems the whole world has fallen in love with their Fleetwood Mac-esque vibe, hilarious interviews and irreplicable style.



Haim, in the last couple of months, have become really special to me, because amongst other reasons the way they are personally remind me a lot of my relationship with my best friend and our sense of humour (we've also spent a lot of time dancing to "Forever" in my kitchen).

There are so many things I love about them - their honesty, their sass, the vibrancy of their live set and the fact that they dance so liberally and have so much fun without it being sexualised, maybe a first for a female pop act. I almost want to go as far as saying they're maybe the first successful girl band, in the sense that they don't appear to have been forced to do dance routines or lose weight or lose themselves. My expectations for their album, with the promise from four proceeding singles, were really high.

It opens with the ethereal, ambient,"Falling" followed by joyful, impossible-not-to-dance-to "Forever"."The Wire" is punchy, Haim's most recent hit single, which is just as witty and wise as the video to go with it - "Always keep your heart locked tight, don't let your mind retire".



"If I Could Change Your Mind" has an incredibly cool 90s vibe that reminds me slightly - dare I say it - of some of the more obscure S Club 7 album tracks (I was about six then, and a massive fan).

It's followed by "Don't Save Me"... . Title track "Days Are Gone" isn't restrained by its heavy production, and ventures into a gorgeous R&B style, followed by deeply grungy "My Song 5" - bass-heavy, dirty and loose and evoking layers and layers of texture, moans of "Honey, I'm not your honey-pie", and "Go Slow" showcases Danielle's powerful, airy vocals beautifully.

"Let Me Go", to me, is maybe the best track on the album - their resonant cries of "Let me go, you know I'm not one for leaving" make a catchy live favourite, recognisable to anyone who's seen them play at most of the UK festivals this summer, drum heavy, explosive and dark, with moody guitar solos. It captivates your attention so much that you're hanging on to the vividly visual lyrics of heart-breaker "Running If You Call My Name", which sound more than anything like it could have come right off a Stevie Nicks record.

But I feel obligated not to make too many comparisons. With a great burden of expectancies on their shoulders, Haim's debut could have easily been a disappointment, but I really believe it exceeds the ever-dangerous hype. It carries over everything that is special about them into a 45 minute record as best as it can - that unique sound of sisters singing in harmony, their love of dance and the raw energy of their on-stage performance. "Days Are Gone" is a perfect blend of singles you love already, some tracks that are a continuation of that style, and some complete melodic surprises. I'm definitely blown away by these ladies' highly anticipated debut release, and can't wait to catch them on tour.