Haim – “The Steps” (Singles Going Steady)

Ian Rushbury: On “The Steps”, Haim come across like a trailer park version of the Indigo Girls trying to work through a hangover. The video is a fascinating insight into their incredibly haphazard morning regime and shows a flagrant disregard for lipstick application etiquette. The song, however, is flawless — memorable, intense and with a chorus that’s like a French kiss and a slap in the face at the same time. The best thing they’ve done by a country mile. [9/10]

Jessica Brant: See-through nipple shirts will always be a thing, and they wear them so well. It’s like the Haim sisters are really singing, “Fuck capitalism and fuck you, my nipple shirts will get me through this.” This is the song you need after you’ve smashed your ex for the 14th time this month when you said you wouldn’t anymore, and now you just want to have a smoke on your back porch to forget about it. And Danielle Haim’s drumming at the end?! Annihilating. [8/10]

Mike Elliott: Sunny AM pop confection with lyrics that strike at the male ego by simply pointing out that she can handle herself. The piercing guitar adds to the fun. [7/10]

Steve Horowitz: Are you upset because of how your mate has been treating you? I recommend singing along with Haim’s “The Steps” as therapy. It’s a battle cry. The song starts mad and increases in intensity as the band confronts personal injustice. They don’t want to drop their mates as much as they want to drop them on their heads and beat the crap out of them (at least metaphorically), all within the confines of pop song conventions. [8/10]

SCORE: 8.00

Haim’s “The Steps” appears on Women in Music Pt III, releasing 24 April via Polydor Records.