Haim has always worn their influences as plainly as the bass on Este Haim’s face. But even within their catalog the new song “Want You Back” is a masterpiece of mimicry. Listeners could be forgiven for mistaking the song for someone else, as every piece seems to be cribbed from the history of pop music.
“Back” takes them away from the Fleetwood Mac vibes that made their first album a hit, and focuses their “great artists steal” mentality on pop music from 1985-1996. The first verse toys around with U2-like grandiosity before launching into a layered chorus snatched straight out of a Wilson Phillips B-side. Underneath their shouts of “Just know that I want you back,” the guitar and bass bob and weave around each other in a way that will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in a supermarket to the soft-pop sounds of Donna Lewis or Des’ree. And, of course, the title was made famous in certain circles by an obscure family band called The Jackson 5.
The track is the latest we’ve heard from Something To Tell You, their sophomore album due out on July 7. It follows the sad glimmer of “Right Now” and the pure pop move of “Little Of Your Love.” Give it a listen up top and confuse your brain by being nostalgic for something new.
