Haim Return With A Swirling, Bittersweet New Song ‘Right Now’

It’s been four years since Haim last dropped a full body of work with 2013’s Days Are Gone, and now, it seems they are ready to unveil a fresh batch of stuff. The sister trio released their new song, “Right Now,” on Beats 1 Radio on Thursday morning, along with a live performance video.

“Right Now” is a glittery track about heartbreak — a delicate banger (if that makes sense). The song starts off minimal, with small bursts of high-hat and Danielle Haim telling the story of a lover who suddenly realizes they need her company after months of neglect. “You’re saying that you need me,” she sings, with Este Haim chiming in: “Right now / Right now.” “And now you’re saying that you need me.” The song builds into something bigger toward the end, with piano adding minimal chords and a badass drum breakdown that crashes into the lonely buzz of a synth.

“Right Now” will appear on the band’s new album, Something To Tell You, due July 7 via Columbia Records.

The video is directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights), who, as Alana Haim told Zane Lowe, was once taught by their mom, an art teacher. When they approached him to do direct the video for “Right Now,” he suggested that they do a performance video in the studio to make it feel more organic and give off a “making of the the album” vibe.

In the clip, Alana and Este whip out their drumsticks for a drum breakdown — the same sort of drum circle that we saw in the teasers leading up to the single’s release. In the past two weeks, Haim have been putting out short videos where they bang out collaborative rhythms:

Along with the release of “Right Now,” Haim announced on Wednesday that they’ll be playing Saturday Night Live on May 13 with Melissa McCarthy hosting. On Beats 1, they told the story about how Este used to wait tables at a restaurant McCarthy frequented and spilled BBQ sauce on her shirt when she saw her. Needless to say, they’re excited about the gig.