Review

The Los Angeles sister trio have always possessed a peculiar knack for transforming personal upheaval into shimmering West Coast anthems, and their fourth studio effort proves no exception. 'I Quit' is a cathartic concept record on breakups and the hard-won independence you earn from them, spread across fifteen tracks that chronicle the messy arithmetic of modern romance with characteristic wit and unflinching honesty. What strikes you immediately about 'I Quit' is its sonic cohesion - a marked departure from the occasionally scattered approach of previous outings. In contrast to the melancholy of their third studio album, Women in Music Pt. III, I quit feels like it's been created with the wisdom of hindsight. The Haim sisters have evidently learnt the art of restraint without sacrificing their trademark maximalist impulses. The album's central conceit - that sometimes the healthiest response to a deteriorating relationship is simply to walk away - provides a sturdy framework for some of their most focused songwriting to date. Danielle Haim's romantic dissolution becomes the band's creative catalyst, with Este and Alana providing both musical and emotional scaffolding for their sister's raw confessionals. Sonically, the band have parted ways with longtime producer Ariel Rechtshaid, yet most of, if not all, the HAIM staples are here: biting satire, tongue-in-cheek takedowns, and Southern-style guitars over a Los Angeles sunshine haze. The production, helmed by Rostam Batmanglij and Buddy Ross alongside Danielle herself, feels appropriately unvarnished - as if the band have stripped away unnecessary ornamentation to focus on the emotional core of these songs. 'I Quit' succeeds precisely because it doesn't attempt to reinvent HAIM's established formula, but rather refines it to its essence. These are songs about liberation masquerading as breakup ballads, and the band's ability to locate hope within heartbreak remains their greatest strength. It's a thoroughly modern take on an age-old subject, delivered with the kind of effortless California cool that only the Haim sisters can muster.

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