HAIM join Zane Lowe on Apple Music to run through their ‘At Home With’ playlist. They chat about being split up during quarantine, getting an early break from Julian Casablancas, FaceTime dating, the timeliness of 'I Know Alone' and making a social distancing music video, being inspired by Madonna, Andre 3000’s 'Prototype, and more.
On Changing The Release Date of Their Album and Where They Are…
Este Haim: Well, Alana came over to drop off something to my house and I saw her through my window, she didn't come inside. I literally was... I hadn't seen another human in three weeks, so without even thinking about it, I was smushing my face against the window, trying to get as close to her as possible.
Este Haim: Oh, I'm never saying no to anything, ever again. Anytime anyone's "I'm going to Zebulon tonight", on a Tuesday, I'm going to be "Yeah. Where, when? I'll be there with bells on." And probably that's it.
Danielle Haim: What has been going on? I think like everyone else, when everything was starting to get shut down, we were just in initial... just shock. It was a shock to our system. We had done one week of promo for our album, and within that one week, everything kind of came crumbling down. We were just like everyone else, just checking the news every day, and we knew that it probably wasn't the right time to release the album because we just didn't even know what was going on. So I think now, it's starting, everything's kind of changing. And I think, right now, we feel a little bit more excited to release music, and feel like it's appropriate now. So we're excited to start putting music back into the world.
On The Timely Release of 'I Know Alone' Despite Writing It Long Ago…
Alana Haim: Well, it's so crazy because we were always going to put out I Know Alone second, that was our plan. We were going to do The Steps and then I Know Alone, but I feel like, right now, this song has kind of taken on a new meaning, because everybody's home, because... As we all are doing right now, we're all pretty much alone. And so it's kind of taken on this new meaning of the time, but it's just crazy, because we wrote it and we recorded it so long ago, and it all kind of matched up right now. It's crazy that it's now coming out now, in this time, but we're really excited to have it out.
On Their ‘At Home With’ Playlist…
Alana Haim: Well, basically, how we did this, we each picked five songs, and obviously, we didn't talk. We made it a pact that we weren't going to say which songs we picked until the very last minute when we submitted it. Because it's fun. Fun, simple pleasures in this time, because... We also all love being in competition with each other, to see who has the best picks. I think that personally, my picks are fire-
Danielle Haim: Your picks are so fire.
Alana Haim: When I saw everyone else's pics, I was like, "Wow, we're going to be taking some twists and turns here.”
Este Haim: Then all I was thinking about was like, "Man, Zane was so over the moon about Rosalia's playlist." But that was the competitiveness in me, all you kept saying was, "She took me on an emotional journey, there was Bach. And then we had..." And then we had... there's like, "Shh, there's no Bach on this playlist, there's no classical music.”
Zane Lowe: She's a playlist nerd, though. She's a nerd with it.
Este Haim: She's so rad.
Alana Haim: I love it, so rad. She's the coolest.
Zane Lowe: She's a nerd with it, the transitions that she... I sent her one of my playlists and she came back and she was like, "Fire transition." And she circled the two songs, because the way that they cut together. She's a deep playlist nerd.
On Finishing The Album Prior To Quarantine…
Danielle Haim: I think also in this time we really ... I mean, it was in a weird way kind of an exciting thing because we really did have to look at it in like a different perspective. Like we really did have this plan where we were going to go on a deli tour and we were going to be with all of our fans and we were going to be able to tour the world and see everybody.
Alana Haim: I know. It's really ... I mean, yeah. As we said, like the record was done. So a lot of it, I mean, it was kind of just us ... First of all, let me say that this was the fastest record that we've ever finished and now-
Zane Lowe: It still took two years though.
Alana Haim: We care. We care, Zane.
Danielle Haim: Because we still care.
Zane Lowe: I mean, if we're comparing it to like The Blue Nile and Guns 'N Roses and Portishead that's a speedy return. Do you know what I mean?
Alana Haim: No, we're really grateful. I mean, we also have like a bunch of more things that we shot before quarantine. That we're really excited. I mean, yeah because we've been really filming things a lot before everything kind of happened. So like around, I don't know when, I mean, we have to talk, we have maybe some secret projects with Paul that we did like months ago that we might drop right before the record for you guys. But I don't know. We'll see. We'll see. I don't know. Who knows.
On Being Inspired By Madonna…
Danielle Haim: I mean, I've always been so into Madonna and everything that she is and everything she's like, I don't know. I just think she's a icon and I've been super into Ray of Light. Like that was like a huge inspiration on Women in Music Pt. III- It's just, everything about it. So amazing.
I feel like Music is underrated and that's the album that this next song is from, but also the song is so good. I honestly, I cried like for a while, like every morning I'd play it and I'd like, cry to it- No, but just the whole sentiment. Like, do you know what it feels like for a girl? Like it's just ... and the way that it's written and all the sound, it's just a great song.
On Touring…
Este Haim: Wait till record four. We might have a little bit of a... The thing is, that's the thing. Because I want to... especially after this, I want to tour forever. I want to tour. I want to go everywhere. I haven't been to Brazil yet. I want to go to Brazil. I forget, did I put a Brazilian song on this playlist? I should have, if I didn’t.
On The Inspiration For 'I Know Alone' and Shooting The Music Video While Social Distancing…
Danielle Haim: I think the song for me, and when we were writing it, was kind of... It was almost like finding comfort in being alone and having your routine when you are alone. And it's so weird that we wrote this such a long time ago, and it kind of resembles what's going on today. But for me, when I just kind of want to be left alone, I kind of find comfort in my every day kind of routine. And it almost feels like that's what's comforting to me. And that's kind of what we wanted the song to sound like, kind of eerie, but has a beat that you can kind of dance to.
Alana Haim: It was like giving alone a name was a thing, that when we were writing, it was like we kind of named alone. We kind of gave it its persona.
Alana Haim: Well, what happened was we came back from New York. We were in New York and immediately went into quarantine. We quarantined separately, I think, for over a month.
Danielle Haim: A month and some change.
Alana Haim: A month and some change, just to be... Obviously, to be safe, social distancing. We really wanted to be separate. And we ended up seeing each other, coming together for the first time when we shot the music video for I Know Alone. And even while we were shooting the video, we were all social distancing. We were still six feet apart. And it kind of took on... It was like a whole... we looked at this song from a new perspective, especially music video wise, we wanted to do something. We had, obviously, different plans for this music video, but I think given the circumstances, we needed to be kind of creative, think of it in a different way. And so yeah, we went into a backyard and danced and then went home and quarantined again. That's where we're at right now.
Este Haim: We danced in front of a camera with no crew.
Alana Haim: Yeah, no crew. We did our own makeup, which honestly, I'm a little worried about that.
On Early Shows Opening For Julian Casablancas 10 Years Ago…
Danielle Haim: We literally... We had our was it our 10 year anniversary? When I was on the road with Julian Casablancas, he had invited HIAM to open up for him in 2010. And our mom sent us all a group text, like happy anniversary
Alana Haim: I think it was yesterday, it was April 26th that we played the pageant. That was our first show.
Danielle Haim: 10 years ago was the first time we left LA. Before then, for a couple of years we were just playing every venue in LA, at six oclock to three people. But I think because I was in Julian's band, he heard that I had a band, and he was like, "Do you guys just want to open?" And I was like, "Absolutely." And so that was the first time we... I was with Julian, but they took a van and followed our bus, and I got to sleep on the bus
Alana Haim: And also I was stoked because I got to leave high school for two weeks right before I was supposed to graduate. And I was like, bye.
Alana Haim: Sorry guys. I got to go on the road. Sorry, Julian Casablancas is calling. I'm getting a call from Julian, and I have to, sorry, sorry.
Danielle Haim: Also, love the new Strokes record. I think the Strokes record is amazing. I'm really digging the Strokes record. Shout out, Jules. We love you.
On Andre 3000’s ‘Prototype'…
Este Haim: If André 3000 is watching this, we love you. We want to be your friend. We want to hang out with you.
Zane Lowe: Do you know what I mean? You just get a feeling that he's just so in his own space. The song, Prototype, is one of my favorite, favorite musical moments of my life.
Este Haim: That baseline? Woo.
Danielle Haim: I feel like that song is like its own genre almost. I'll never forget hearing it for the first time. I'm a guitar player, so just hearing that guitar line, it's so good, and so emotive and next to the base- and also, one of the summer tours, I forget, was it 2015? We did a festival summer tour and it was the same one when Outkast was playing festivals, so I got to see that show so many times and every time they played Prototype, I like cried. I cry a lot.
Alana Haim: Danielle's in her feelings these days.
Este Haim: Just going through it. She's going through it. She's going through it.
Danielle Haim: Yeah. Well, also that tour was so amazing because I've loved all their music for so long and I'd never seen them live and for them to reunite and do that tour, that was so amazing.
On FaceTime Dating and Soulja Boy…
Alana Haim: Okay. Let's talk about Soulja Boy. Well, first of all, I'm definitely not the only, I've been on some FaceTime dates in this quarantine.
Este Haim: She's single. You heard it.
Alana Haim: You got to do some FaceTime.
Este Haim: You heard it here first, Apple exclusive. Apple exclusive.
Zane Lowe: So, at the risk of, not trying to pry or anything, but just more on a logistical and a technical situation, and also, I suppose, in somewhat of a holistic environment, how was the experience of getting to know somebody over closed circuit video during quarantine?
Alana Haim: Well, the thing that's funny about it is the bulk of my relationships have to be on FaceTime because I'm always on the road, so I'm super good at FaceTime dating. If I had a PhD in something, it would be FaceTime dating. So, I'm super good at it, and I think the thing that I've realized is now, because usually what you do is, you go meet up at a bar, and you go meet up at a party, so you can't do that. So, I've realized that the dudes that I'm talking to are not that great at it. People have to learn how to be good at FaceTime dating now. But anyways, Kiss Me Through the Phone has been a great, I feel seen again, kiss me through the phone, kiss me through the phone. I'll see you later on. He rhymed phone with on, by saying, on.
