Whether they can still lay claim to the title is debatable, but few would argue that, at various points in their career, U2 have been considered ‘the biggest band in the world’.
Who could follow in their footsteps, though? Well, producer Rostam Batmanglij, also of Vampire Weekend, has suggested that, at one point, U2 lead singer Bono thought it could be Haim.
Recalling a meeting that occurred around a decade ago, Batmanglij tells Music Week: “I went to hang out with Ryan Tedder, and he didn’t tell me who’d be there, but it was Bono and the three of us had dinner. Bono said he’d heard of Vampire Weekend but had never listened to an album [laughs]then when he asked what else I was doing and I said I was helping Haim on their next record, he’s like, ‘Oh, well, Haim, now that’s a band… they could be the biggest band in the world.’”
Batmanglij was speaking about his work on I Quit, Haim’s upcoming fourth studio album, which will be released this week. And he’s keen to stress that their old-school band dynamic is what sets them apart from many of their peers.
“In this era, where so much music is constructed from copying and pasting, there’s something about capturing the living performance that I think separates Haim,” he says. “The fact that it’s them performing, and the way they play, it has a distinct sound to it.”
What’s more, says Batmanglij, the songs on I Quit reflect that band identity: “We spent a long time making sure we had fully finished songs that anyone could sit with an acoustic guitar and record a cover of,” he says. “I’m proud that every song feels like a complete thought.”
Explaining why they like working with Batmanglij – he also co-produced previous album Women in Music Pt III – lead singer, guitarist and drummer Danielle Haim says: “It’s really hard to find someone who can record a live band nowadays, and we’re an organic band when it comes down to it.”
Which must make it all the more frustrating for Haim that they keep having to defend their musical credentials. “Haim write their own songs, Haim produce their own songs and – shock – we play our songs!” says guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Alana. “That shouldn’t be a headline, but if you would like to make that the headline of this article…”
“It sucks when people think that we don’t play our instruments,” she continues. “That fucking sucks.”
