Haim - Don't Save Me (Video)

Here is the new video from Haim, released today, for their rather slick new single Don’t Save Me. Here are some thoughts. They may be right or wrong, but without them we'd probably just be writing a boring review of the video.

1. Some people are still getting things wrong, particularly in the UK. Haim is pronounced ‘hyme', but is not to be confused with the word hymen which is a very different thing indeed. We're pretty sure they had that 'joke' a lot when they were at school.

2. If their record label has done its job properly Haim are guaranteed certs for a nomination on this year’s BBC Sound of List. Watch this space next week to see if they also get onto the UK bloggers version of the list - The Blog Sound of 2013. If we were the betting sort we'd put money on a double header there.

3. Haim’s progression from potential hype / buzz band to the real deal has developed quite nicely. In the UK the point where it really kicked off was at this year’s Great Escape in Brighton; the band talked of this when they revisited the town on their recent headlining dates. We’re pretty sure that the first gig they played in Brighton will go down as one of the best shows they ever played in the UK. We’ve seen them twice since, but that first gig really felt like a ‘moment’ and not just because one of their number stripped to her underwear, although that certainly was a ‘moment’ of sorts. And yes, we've talked about that particular 'moment' a number of times on the blog this year. It obviously had a profound effect on us.

4. We’ve already talked about the fact that Don’t Save Me sounds like the glossy soft focus soundtrack to an 80’s teen movie, so instead we’ll talk about how this video reinforces the stereotype that we have in the UK that all Americans are great at basketball, just like we’re pretty sure that every person in the States thinks that after a hard days work at the office us Brits all immediately make our way to the park for a game of kick-a-bout. The reality of course is that the majority of our country sits at home playing FIFA 12 or Pro Evolution Soccer on our X-Boxes whilst slumped on our couches and ever fattening arses.

5. Talking of stereotypes Haim need to be careful that their crude flirtatiousness doesn’t become more talked about than their music, although we think they’re going to find that difficult. After all at their recently streamed iTunes gig Este first announced that “I think everyone’s enjoying the show, everyone clapped, so I guess they are, unless my tampon string is showing and you’re just trying to alert me to it?” Then later she chatted a man in the audience up and gave her mobile number to him (and potentially if it was the real one several thousand people round the world watching).

6. What’s not apparent from a casual listen to Don’t Save Me is how in the live form Haim display a hell of a lot more classic rock influences. This track is probably one of the softer songs in their arsenal.

7. George Ergatoudis head of music at BBC Radio 1 and Andy Roberts programme director at Kiss FM have both gone on record recently to say that ‘guitar music is coming back.’ We assume that they’ve looked out at new bands coming through and decided that there’s enough quality out there to make such a statement, rather than just deciding that they are the god like makers and curators of fashion itself. Haim have positioned themselves nicely whichever way fashion / music goes. If guitars are back then they can rock hard. If not, then there’s enough pop and shine to their songs to ensure they can still capture radio play in the UK.

8. You know how drummers do 'sex faces'? The Haim girls play guitars but they do the best sex faces. Go see them live and stand near the front. It's very entertaining.

Here's the video.

Haim - Don't Save Me (Video)