‘I need this record to be tough’: How Haim made ‘I Quit’

by

Danielle Haim remembers coming into the studio with three thoughts in her head:

1. She and her sisters still needed an opener for their new album.

2. They should try sampling somebody else’s music.

3. That somebody should be George Michael.

The Haim sisters – Danielle, Este, and Alana – were hard at work on their fourth album last year in Los Angeles. Danielle teamed up with Rostam Batmanglij to co-produce, and they made significant headway at Rostam’s studio and at Valentine, a charming studio just a short distance from where they grew up in Valley Village.

Danielle and Rostam both felt they hadn’t yet written a strong opening song for their project, a song that really set the tone, as Rostam explains.

×

Inspired by Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter” and always a fan of Michael Jackson, Danielle had an unusual idea. She walked in and suggested using the distinctive chanted chorus from Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” as the foundation for a new Haim song called “Gone.”

Rostam’s first reaction?

“My first reaction was: That’s gonna be expensive,” he says.

HAIM recently discussed the making of their album “I Quit,” revealing the story behind a sample from George Michael – a technique later used by their friend Taylor Swift. The conversation also covered other creative choices made during the album’s production. “I Quit” was released in June to positive reviews and is currently being supported by a tour, including a show this Thursday at the Kia Forum in Inglewood. This week, HAIM announced a deluxe edition of the album, featuring three new songs, will be released on October 17th.

Danielle, age 36, called from Austin, Texas, before Haim’s concert that night. Rostam, 41, was in New York, a city he now considers a second home after Los Angeles. He’s collaborated with artists like Haim, Clairo, Frank Ocean, and Carly Rae Jepsen.

After their 2020 album “Women in Music Pt. III” received a Grammy nomination, Danielle expressed a need for their next record to be strong and resilient, which sparked the beginning of “I Quit,” according to Rostam.

I was really struck by the honesty in Haim’s new music. Danielle Haim had just gone through a tough breakup with her long-term partner and collaborator, Ariel Rechtshaid, and you can *feel* that vulnerability in the songs. It’s not just about sadness, though; she’s really dissecting what went wrong, and what *she* could have done differently. She wanted the music to reflect that raw emotional state – bruised, but with a sense of clarity – and a big part of achieving that, for her as the band’s drummer, was focusing on creating really stripped-down, impactful beats.

The songs on “I Quit” have a restless energy – they move between a swaggering pace and sudden bursts of speed. Danielle pushed herself hard while recording, especially on “Love You Right.” She even intentionally played with tempo on “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out,” letting the song naturally speed up and slow down to create a dynamic feel.

Like Haim’s earlier work, this album blends electronic sounds with traditional instruments. The lead single, “Relationships,” exemplifies this, pairing a light synth melody with a chopped R&B beat. However, “I Quit” feels distinctly like a live band performance, capturing a raw, energetic sound.

Danielle mentioned the documentary about the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik,’ called ‘Funky Monks.’ It shows the band recording the album in 1991 with producer Rick Rubin at a spacious house in Laurel Canyon, which was full of musical instruments.

Rostam recalls the band—Este on bass, Danielle on drums, and Alana on guitar—often starting with a jam session, and he might have played guitar as well. Even songs that became more polished, like “Gone,” which used elements from “Freedom! ’90,” still kept a raw, energetic feel.

Rostam believes the guitar solo was recorded in one take, with no editing – just a raw performance by Danielle.

Haim’s albums are known for the sisters’ beautiful harmonies, usually featuring Danielle as the lead vocalist with Este and Alana providing support. However, their new album includes lead vocals from Este on the song “Cry” and, for the first time ever, from Alana on the disco-inspired track “Spinning.”

Music

While touring with her new album, the pop singer, who was born in New Zealand, is opening up about wanting to be completely honest and open with her fans.

Rostam describes Alana as a naturally talented and captivating performer who’s a bit hesitant to be the center of attention. However, when she *is* in the spotlight, she truly shines. He uses her role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 film, “Licorice Pizza”—Anderson has directed Haim’s music videos for years—as a perfect example of this captivating presence.

According to Rostam, Paul told her, ‘I’ve written a movie, and I want you to be in it.’ She was shocked when she read the script and realized her name appeared throughout. However, Rostam notes that she looks fantastic on screen – the camera clearly loves her.

The album ends with a callback to George Michael, mirroring an earlier tribute, and also includes a sample of U2’s signature guitar riff from their song “Numb” in the closing track, “Now It’s Time.”

This isn’t the first time Haim and U2 have connected musically. Back in 2017, U2 actually used a guitar riff from Haim’s song “My Song 5” in their song “Lights of Home.”

I was absolutely floored when that happened, and it actually led to me becoming friends with The Edge and Bono! Shortly after, Rostam and I were working on HAIM’s song “Summer Girl” from 2019, and honestly, we were really struggling to get it right.

Danielle remembers Rostam suggesting they reach out to Bono, and she thought, ‘I could try texting him.’ She sent a message, but he wasn’t available. Later, when Danielle and Rostam were working on their song ‘I Quit,’ they took a break to see U2 perform at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which reminded them of the idea.

×

When Danielle returned to Los Angeles, she was really into the song ‘Numb’ and wanted Rostam to produce ‘Now It’s Time’ with a similar feel to a track from U2’s ‘Zooropa’ album.

“I took her completely literally and was like, ‘Let’s sample it and see what happens,’” Rostam says. “I really didn’t expect it to work, but it unlocked something. Danielle recut the vocal and suddenly the lyrics and the melodies felt right in a new way.”

Here’s another interesting detail about U2’s recording process: While working on “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out” at Valentine Studios, Danielle tuned her snare drum to sound just like Larry Mullen Jr.’s on their song “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

“An iconic snare sound,” she says.

Rostam notes that the finished song sounds distinct. However, he believes carefully refining even small details—and then building on them creatively—is central to understanding the vision he and Danielle shared for “I Quit.”

With so much music now made on computers, what really stands out to me is being able to hear a musician’s individual touch – like recognizing Danielle’s guitar or drum work immediately. I think that’s possible because true style comes from those little imperfections. It’s the raw, human element that makes it unique.

Read More

2025-10-10 00:02