It’s May 2022. I had just moved into my first studio apartment in New York City on 59th between 2nd and 3rd and instead of unpacking, I spent the evening at HAIM’s first-ever sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. Women in Music Pt. III, which dropped in 2020, had become one of my most-played albums during the pandemic. I had fully deep-dived into their discography. So when HAIM announced their latest album I quit, set to release June 20, 2025, I was ecstatic.
Based in Los Angeles, the sister trio Danielle, Alana, and Este each brings something distinct to the table. Danielle leads with vocals, guitar, and drums. Alana covers guitar, keyboards, vocals (and sometimes drums). And Este, ever iconic, is usually twirling with her bass, embracing the bass face.
I quit, their fourth studio album under Columbia Records, spans fifteen tracks and was produced by Rostam Batmanglij and Danielle Haim. It radiates the raw, dynamic energy of performers shaped by years on stage, with songs clearly built for live performance and grounded in a reverence for classic rock.
Leading up to I quit, Women in Music Pt. III earned HAIM a Brit Award for International Group and two GRAMMY nominations—including “Album of the Year.” That recognition made them the first all-female rock band to ever be nominated in the GRAMMY’s top category. For an album titled Women in Music Pt. III, that felt especially meaningful.
There’s a lot I love about HAIM, and I could go on forever. But as you listen to this record, I recommend exploring their backstory. It added a whole new layer for me. Originally, I quit was just a studio placeholder, something they used to name files or test mics. But the phrase stuck. Growing up, one of their favorite childhood movies was the 1996 Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do, and in it, the lead singer Jimmy is asked to “sing something snappy.” He says “I quit” three times fast. It clicked. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Este shared that over time, they realized many of the songs are, in fact, about quitting—specifically quitting what no longer serves us.
Whether I see HAIM live or catch them on TV, their musicianship always blows me away. They’re magnetic, not just because they’re talented, but because they genuinely play. Just watch their performance of Down to Be Wrong on Jimmy Fallon. They’re having fun, showing up as their full selves, and making music that resonates.
Rolling Stone describes the album as a “cathartic concept record about hard-won independence,” and I couldn’t agree more. I’ve always been fascinated by the way artists choose to open and close an album, how those moments bookend the listener’s experience. I Quit begins with Gone, a track that sets the emotional scene and signals what’s to come. It closes with Now It’s Time, a reflective breath after the storm, an acknowledgment that while there may be no perfect ending, there is power in moving forward with intention.
Who’s ready for a HAIM summer? I quit is out now. Listen wherever you stream and see HAIM on tour this fall. Dates and tickets available here.