HAIM EVOKES REGRET AND LOSS OF FREEDOM ON BREEZY “LOST TRACK”
One of the most critically-acclaimed darlings of the alternative and pop rock world, Haim continue their decades-long success with a track that took forever and a day to complete.
“Lost Track” may be a breezy 2 ½ minutes, but the inspiration for the song came about years ago, when its most gut-punching lyrics, “I’ll never get back what I lost track of” entered Haim’s minds and refused to go away for several years. Thankfully, a conversation with Paul Thomas Anderson – who worked with Alana Haim on the film “Licorice Pizza” – led to the quick writing, recording and filming of what would be their ninth collaboration with the famed director:
“Paul mentioned having the book ‘Appointment in Samarra’ as a possible direction. So we did some digging around the book and were inspired by the scene where the main character throws a drink in someone’s face at a country club. … of someone doing something so drastic to get out of a situation they felt uncomfortable in – just to feel something. We finally remembered that lyric and wrote and recorded the song and shot the whole thing in a few days!”
“Lost Track” contains all the elements that Haim fans love: catchy hooks, polished vocals and thoughtful lyrics. Yet “Lost Track” stands above more recent fare from the band, in that it evokes a true sense of pathos about choices not made or even denied. The lyrics cut deep on lines like, “I’m tryin’ to feel alright / Around all these people / I try, but I’m just numb,” eventually reaching a state of defiance toward the end, when Danielle Haim proclaims “But you can’t say I’m not tryin’.”
Haim have always been more than pretty faces with their edgier-than-expected music, but the maturity and self-awareness they display on “Lost Track” is a breath of fresh air. Its quiet sorrow simmers under the surface and leaves you longing for more long after it’s over – a testament to the prolonged origins of the track itself. Stay tuned for more information on Haim’s new album and their upcoming tour. In the meantime, give “Lost Track” a listen!
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