‘Down to be wrong’ Single Review: HAIM’s Rock Anthem for the Summer

For each of the singles released in advance of their upcoming album “I quit,” HAIM — the Los Angeles-based band of sisters Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim — has paid homage to a memorable paparazzi photo from the early 2000’s. Lead single “Relationships” featured the sisters recreating the iconic photo of a rejoicing Nicole Kidman, which is often — incorrectly, according to Kidman — characterized as her ecstatic reaction to securing a divorce from Tom Cruise. Meanwhile, the artwork to “Everybody’s trying to figure me out” saw Danielle doing her best impression of Kate Moss casually enjoying the Los Angeles daylight in a parking lot. Maybe in the spirit of the candor assigned to paparazzi images, the singles sound like direct sonic translations of their visuals. “Relationships” is joyous and a little bitter while its follow-up single adopts a pose of elegance.

The cover of HAIM’s most recent single “Down to be wrong” features Danielle now invoking Jared Leto, scrolling on her phone while locked in a lover’s embrace. The image communicates an unbothered air, maybe even some disgust with the excesses of romance. The single itself effectively captures these emotions with a tried and true rock groove that starts emotionally detached then builds to a thrilling chorus. As HAIM songs go, “Down to be wrong” sees the trio perhaps at their most unadorned when it comes to songwriting and production. Yet, the track still shines for its frankness and intensity that maintains the band’s reputation for writing singalong songs for the summer.

Although the track opens with Danielle Haim’s vocals, what immediately stands out is its backing track. A drum kit kicks in on the second beat and doesn’t let up. It’s closely miked, humming with the eagerness of the iconic kit in the Queen anthem “We Will Rock You.” Filling in the gaps between downbeats are subtle yet appreciated hand drums. Completing this rock-oriented triumvirate is a bass line that also sits forward in the mix and helps give the track momentum, maintaining the opening’s energy throughout the song.

Danielle’s polished vocals start by striking a balance between conveying vulnerability and putting on an air of nonchalance.“You thought I would fall / Back in your arms / But I lost my heart / And the future’s gone with it,” she croons to a former lover. There’s a defiance and self-sufficiency, bolstered by the driving backing track. Yet, at the same time, each line ends with an air of tentativeness, as if Haim doesn’t fully buy into the force she’s putting into her own words. Melodically, the verses are all repeats of the same two-line phrase, with some variation between. After a listen or two, this repetition becomes apparent, a somewhat disappointing revelation. However, in the moment, the song is overwhelmingly catchy and endearing, like an earworm or commercial jingle that you don’t want to let go.

Perhaps the song’s plain structure is most redeemed by just how cathartic its chorus is. Without missing a beat after the verse, Haim belts, “Oh, I bet you wish it could be easy / To change my mind.” Gone is the doubt, replaced by self-affirmation. The entire backing ensemble builds and coalesces perfectly to this moment. Acoustic guitar and electric piano chords even join the original instrumentation to accelerate the song towards its jubilant, defiant peak. By the time the chorus’s melodic line returns as a counterpoint to the outro’s repetitions of “Down to be wrong / Don’t need to be right,” it’s a familiar friend that demands singing along.

“Down to be wrong” attests to HAIM’s ability to make fun, enjoyable music, even when it’s not elaborately produced or engineered. There’s a time for the noodling saxophone solos and intertwining melodies of their 2021 hit “Los Angeles.” Yet, this latest track shows that the band finds its home in spirit, not substance.

—Staff writer Andrew K. Choe can be reached at andrew.choe@thecrimson.com.