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Music Reviews
"Women In Music Pt. III" Proves Haim Are Pop's New Blueprint
On their third album, the sister trio is bolder and better than ever before.
06.26.2020
You'd be hard-pressed to find a current indie rock star that has embodied a personal brand as perfectly curated as Haim.
The trio, composed of sisters Danielle, Alana, and Este Haim, broke out in 2013 with Days Are Gone, a soft-rock debut brimming with Los Angeles cool that spread like wildfire. In the years since, Haim's music follows the other essential tenets of being a Haim: leather blazers, great choreography, middle-parted hair, and an obsession with '70s icons from Joni Mitchel to Diana Ross. There's a good reason Vogue once published a how-to on emulating the sisters' collective style.
Women In Music Pt. III
<p>As effortless as being a Haim sister might seem, the band's third album, <em>Women In Music Pt. III, </em>highlights the bumps in the road. There are still blips of the California incandescence; the opening track "Los Angeles" flirts with the idea of moving east, ultimately reading like a debate about the sheer meaning of home. But <em>WIMPIII </em>is decidedly darker than Haim's past records, even in its gleaming pop melodies.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Upon the release of last year's "Summer Girl" (a bonus track on the record), middle sister and primary vocalist Danielle revealed that the feel-good, Lou Reed-like song was inspired by her boyfriend (and co-producer) Ariel Rechtshaid's cancer diagnosis. Much of <em>WIMPIII </em>is sunny on the surface—as is all of Haim's best work—all while carrying a hidden weight, culminating into the band's most evocative work to date.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Haim - Summer Girl</small>
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</p><p>In the lead-up to <em>WIMPIII</em>'s release, each sister revealed a significant personal struggle that has impacted them creatively: Este's hardships of living with Type 1 diabetes, Alana's grief after the death of her best friend, and Danielle's looming depression. Another single-turned bonus track "Hallelujah" candidly tells these stories, with each sister singing a verse. "I Know Alone" zeroes in on Danielle's mental state: "I know alone like nobody else does," she sings, pulling you into the eye of her mental spirals. A few songs later: "A little moonlight coming through the blinds / The love of my life sleeping by my side / But I'm still down."<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>While those moments of Danielle's pure love permeate <em>WIMPIII</em>, the album's punching closer "FUBT" explores an abusive relationship, something all three members say they've experienced. "I kinda like it when you say the things you shouldn't say / 'Cause those are all the things that I was thinkin' anyway," Danielle sings in the first verse. "It's f*cked up, but it's true / That I love you like I do." Throughout <em>WIMPIII, </em>Haim revel in a deeper understanding of themselves and their own traumas, but not without coming out stronger. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>"Man from the Magazine" uses personal anecdotes to illustrate the frustrations of being a woman in rock: "'Do you make the same faces in bed?' / Hey, man, what kind of question is that?" Danielle sings, quoting an actual question regarding Este's trademark "bass face."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Haim - The Steps (Official Video)</small>
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</p><p><br></p><p>Sonically, <em>WIMPIII </em>takes in a wider array of influences than their prior records, seamlessly shapeshifting between ultra-sleek synth-pop and pared-down folk. "Los Angeles" opens with a jazzy saxophone solo, while a chorus of horns gives "Another Try" a brighter aesthetic. Tracks like "The Steps" and "I've Been Down" recall the laid-back, half-spoken delivery of Sheryl Crow. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Bits of funk and polished R&B are scattered throughout the record, leading up to "All That Ever Mattered," an experimental love song that boasts metallic percussion and distorted vocals akin to those of Haim friend Charli XCX. But all of these elements blend together cohesively, rooted in Haim's iconic harmonies and infectious melodies throughout.</p><h2></h2><p><em>Women In Music Pt. III </em>is a no-skips, no-filler testament to how far Haim have come in their lifetimes as artists. With their third record, they've broken through the ceiling of indie darlings and claimed their role as the new blueprint for pop.</p>
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Culture Feature
Shein's Swastika Necklace Scandal: Fast Fashion or Just Fascism?
A cultural misunderstanding may be responsible for Shein's swastika necklace scandal...but it's still an awful company
07.10.2020
Popular fast-fashion retailer Shein came under fire this week for selling a swastika necklace on their website.
A Chinese company, Shein has become well-known for their inexpensive clothing and accessories, often featured in so-called "haul" videos on YouTube. Shein has since removed the necklace from their site and issued an apology. But screenshots of the faux-gold necklace—listed for between $2.50 and $4.00 as "Metal Swastika Pendant Necklace"— quickly spread on social media, with users expressing their disgust at the apparent insensitivity to what that symbol represents.
To everyone we’ve offended, we’re really sorry... https://t.co/rm6TCgx99K— SHEIN (@SHEIN)1594381498.0
Earlier this month Shein was called out for cultural insensitivity after listing Muslim prayer rugs—some featuring an image of the sacred Kaaba in Mecca—as "Fringe Trim Carpets" for decorative use and for selling traditional Southeast Asian dresses modeled by white women and renamed to remove cultural signifiers.
<p>The prayer rugs and the dress were promptly removed from Shein's website, and the company issued promises to be more culturally sensitive in the future with the aid of a multicultural committee designated to review their products. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shein-nazi-symbol-swastika-necklace/" target="_blank">But the discovery of the swastika necklace</a> has cast doubt on the sincerity of that pledge for many would-be customers who see this as the most egregious case yet.</p><div id="8a68e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c07292a363343609f35d0410ab94638d"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCbXMfYAIbw/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
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</div></blockquote></div><p>Now many are calling for a total boycott of Shein for selling such an snti-Semitic symbol of hate as a cute accessory. But a question remains: <strong>Is the swastika fundamentally a symbol of hate?</strong><br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>The answer may seem to be obvious. In Europe and much of the colonized world, the swastika is seen purely as the symbol representing the German Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler—and with good cause.</p><p>Hitler's regime replaced the German flag with the Nazi party's swastika flag before tearing Europe apart and terrorizing millions under that banner. It came to stand for all the violence and hatred of that era in European history, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2017/8/16/16152088/nazi-swastikas-germany-charlottesville" target="_blank">the symbol of the swastika remains banned in Germany to this day</a>.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Tens of millions of people died as a result of the Nazi invasions and systematic murder of marginalized groups, including nearly two thirds of European Jews. The Nazi swastika— clockwise and diagonal—continues to be <a href="https://www.vox.com/2017/8/12/16138132/charlottesville-rally-brawl-nazi" target="_blank">used by fascist white supremacist hate groups even now</a>.</p><p>It's hard to imagine how a symbol defined by such massive and horrific historical events could ever be divorced from that history of hate...except in the parts of the world where it never had that association—where it has another set of meanings entirely.</p><h4>The Religious History of the Swastika</h4><p>Hitler didn't invade Asia, but he did steal an ancient Hindu/Buddhist symbol for his flag. For <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1411522/sorry-nazis-the-swastika-is-11000-years-old-and-indian/" target="_blank">at least 11,000 years before Adolf Hitler terrorized Europe</a> in the 1930s and 40s, the swastika had been used as a spiritual symbol associated with luck, prosperity, peace, and the cyclic nature of the universe.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Religious uses of the symbol can be jarring for tourists who associate the Swastika with hate—which is why <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35349619" target="_blank">Japan recently made plans to replace the Swastika as a symbol of a temple on its maps</a>. <strong>But it would be a shame if we allowed the Nazi's theft of the symbol to erase its long history.</strong></p><p>Most often appearing in counterclockwise form without the diagonal tilt of the Nazi's version, swastikas can be found on countless Buddhist and Hindu temples and statuary throughout Asia, often used in reference to the wheel of Samsara—the concept of cyclic reincarnation.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ0ODc1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTI2MDM2MX0.-CBWWToiwyyBWYIHgoodW_JOeyujCWq3sXiOe_CFKRY/img.jpg?width=980" id="8875f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f31a3a3a1ae7f44049672c52395ebe8d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Buddhist statue swastika">
</p><p>Despite the official state atheism of the ruling Communist Party, <a href="https://time.com/4260593/china-buddhism-religion-religious-freedom/" target="_blank">Buddhism remains a huge part of Chinese culture</a>, and the meaning of the swastika there was not destroyed by a hateful dictator thousands of miles away—they had their own war to fight at the time. <a href="https://www.popdust.com/nazi-chic-2629432175.html?share_id=4874168" target="_self">In China and much of Asia, the cultural significance of Hitler and the Nazi Party</a> is about as well understood as Japan's role in WWII is understood by most Americans (i.e. not well at all).<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>From this perspective, even the <a href="https://qz.com/928440/asias-disturbing-embrace-of-nazi-chic-is-prompting-a-nonprofit-to-teach-holocaust-history/" target="_blank">disturbing trend of Nazi themed bars and restaurants</a> in that region of the world makes a bit more sense—though it's still shocking and upsetting. In those countries <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/01/japan-rising-sun-flag-history-olympic-ban-south-korea" target="_blank">a much more offensive symbol would likely be the Rising Sun Flag</a> that the Japanese military flew while expanding their empire through brutal violence. And that is a symbol you can absolutely buy on t-shirts in America—gross.</p><p>We should all strive to be more culturally aware and sensitive, which definitely means that Shein should not be selling swastikas to European or American customers—who live in the cultural context in which the symbol is inexcusably offensive (and where <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/An-El-Sobrante-man-built-a-huge-swastika-in-his-13953616.php" target="_blank">Nazis will absolutely try to use a phony Buddhism defense</a>). But it also means that we probably shouldn't boycott a Chinese fast-fashion company for producing a pendant that they reasonably think of as a spiritual symbol of peace and luck… We should boycott them for being a fast-fashion company.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><h4>The Evils of Fast Fashion</h4><p>While they may not be fascists, Shein's business model is fundamentally dehumanizing and destructive. <a href="https://m.shein.com/us/Social-responsibility-a-750.html" target="_blank">Shein has denied claims that they use child labor</a>, but even in the best case scenario the only way to make a profit off of selling clothing, accessories, and prayer rugs as cheaply as they do is by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/syamameagher/2020/02/05/the-not-so-hidden-ethical-cost-of-fast-fashion-sneaky-sweatshops-in-our-own-backyard/#5ac1a0b925d1" target="_blank">exploiting underpaid, overworked labor</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10#the-fashion-industry-is-also-the-second-largest-consumer-of-water-worldwide-14" target="_blank">pumping out massively wasteful quantities of disposable goods</a>, usually made from cheap <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/19/17800654/clothes-plastic-pollution-polyester-washing-machine" target="_blank">synthetic materials that shed environmentally devastating microfiber plastics</a>.</p><p>This is the business model not only of Shein but of companies like H&M, Forever 21, Zara, and Uniqlo. They pay garment workers a fraction of what could be considered a decent wage for working 12, 14, or 16 hour days, mass-producing low-quality goods that are likely to be thrown out after they're worn a few times—assuming they're sold at all.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ0ODc2MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzA4NDE1Mn0.LgWPzom9uDwmo7KXREOEtFvWwqG1LEVLnsj5ymBzdc4/img.jpg?width=980" id="b488e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d19321b204eae60865added22de625ed" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="garment factory">
</p><p>These businesses lure us in with affordable clothing, but they are unsustainable and inhumane, and we should absolutely stop buying from them, regardless of whether they manage to figure out cultural sensitivity in their marketing. Shein is among the worst offenders, but if you're going to join the boycott, consider taking your business away from their competitors as well.<br></p><p>If you can afford to support clothing brands like <a href="https://wearpact.com/" target="_blank">Pact</a> and <a href="https://www.patagonia.com/home/" target="_blank">Patagonia</a> that strive for ethical, sustainable business practices, great. If not, then even limiting your purchases from fast-fashion brands to what you actually need—rather than grabbing a few extra items because they're cheap—is a good start.</p><h2></h2><h2></h2><p>And the next time you see a swastika...you should still probably be offended and pissed off. These damn <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/all-american-nazis-628023/" target="_blank">Nazis keep trying to make a comeback</a>...</p>
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Music Features
You'll Never Be a Haim Sister, But Now You Can Dance Like One
The indie trio will teach you their best music video choreography in a series of Zoom classes.
05.13.2020
Let's face it—we all want to be a Haim.
Is it their endearing sibling dynamic? Their sprawling wardrobes of casual cool-girl chic? Their effortless, middle-parted beach waves? No matter who you are, there is probably something you envy in Haim, indie rock's favorite sister trio. And with their track record for amazing style also comes fantastically-choreographed music videos across the band's two albums, with their third on the way.
<p>Haim's new record, <em>Women in Music Pt. III</em>, was supposed to be out by now, but it's been delayed along with a growing list of other albums. They're ensuring fans stay entertained in the meantime, though, with a steady stream of singles. Now, they're combining two quarantine hobbies—virtual workout classes and Zoom meetings—into the most clever livestream yet: Dance classes that'll get you shaped up to star in some of Haim's best music videos (or at least be an extra).</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Starting this Sunday, May 17, Haim will host four weekly Zoom classes to teach you the routines to four of their music videos. During the first meeting, they'll show you the steps to "Want You Back." Then on May 24, "Little of Your Love," "If I Could Change Your Mind" on May 31, and "I Know Alone"—their latest single—on June 1. You have plenty of time to practice before the June 26 release of <em>Women in Music Pt. III, </em>and even <em>more </em>time to practice before Haim are able to hit the road and play shows again, whenever that is.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Music and exercise are good for you. Sign up <a href="https://zaphod.vvhp.net/vvreg/16992-723486.html?t=1589367255" target="_blank">here</a> to get invited to Haim's Zoom dance classes. Leotard and tights not included.</p><h2></h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3d8ff" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76dfb1f54dbda65200a342bfa1334dcd"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1260618765743480838" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">https://t.co/xkgbrvof7h
HAIM ZOOM DANCE CLASS enter your details to join https://t.co/pbcUBbW1oQ</div> — HAIM (@HAIM)<a href="https://twitter.com/HAIMtheband/statuses/1260618765743480838">1589389909.0</a></blockquote></div>
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