If you like Taylor Swift, you’ll love I Quit by HAIM.
I Quit is a breakup album that manages to be confessional, celebratory, vulnerable, and fun all at once. It’s a resolutely accessible record about letting go of relationships, expectations, and old versions of yourself, and the freedom that comes with it, wrapped in bright, catchy, pop-rock. Gone sets the tone with a perfectly chosen George Michael sample repeating “Freedom” before settling into a grooving, ‘90s soft-rock rhythm. It takes its time, but once it lands, it lands big. Relationships is a huge, hook-driven anthem about being done with love’s endless cycles of intensity and collapse that’s sad, but also the kind of song you can belt with your friends in the car on the way to something better.
I Quit covers the full emotional spectrum of heartache without ever feeling too heavy, and for every wistful, slow-burn country ballad there’s a glittery Kylie-esque cut like Spinning or the speedy pop gem Million Years. The bedrock is soft rock, but the sisters pull liberally from ‘90s and 2000s R&B, alt-country, and shimmering club pop, and it all hangs together beautifully, feeling wide-reaching without sounding scattershot. The production glows with warm, textured little flourishes that reveal themselves on repeat listens, and the trio’s signature blend of lightness sounds rich and assured. I Quit is a celebration and a reminder that freedom is often far better than clinging to something toxic, and that new beginnings are healthier than drawn-out endings. The sisters don’t sugar-coat the grieving process, but they show that there’s joy on the other side, and that balance makes the album feel universal. These are feelings that everyone knows, distilled into a pop format that’s accessible and deeply comforting. Lines like “You think you’re gonna die, but you’re not gonna die” feel like the kind of breakup comfort you don’t realise you needed until someone sings it out loud. At nearly an hour across 15 tracks, it’s a generous collection, with plenty of space to cry, dance, and ultimately, to feel better.