The opening track of Haim’s third studio album, Women in Music Pt. III, greets the listener with a soulful horn intro before Este Haim’s joyous walking bass line kicks in over a grooving drumbeat, tightly strummed guitars, and laid-back vocals. It’s a whole new vibe that has been cultivated by the trio of sisters over an almost two-year span of songwriting. Este’s bass work on “Los Angeles” foreshadows the 15 remaining tracks, as her musicianship allows her to both play for the song and play for the bass, at all times. While the trio’s music would most commonly be classified as pop rock, the influences of jazz, hip-hop, soul, R&B, and folk are more prevalent than ever on the new record, and Este gladly uses this platform to showcase her diversity as a bassist. Whether hanging back in the pocket on “3AM,” or melodically pushing the song forward on “I’ve Been Down,” her work makes an impact on every tune. Despite all of the emotion, tension, angst, and coming of age that went into Haim’s latest recorded chapter, the album had an unfortunate release date of June 26, 2020, at the height of the COVID lockdown. With their love of performing superceding anything else, not being able to get in front of crowds and play their new songs was torture for Este and her sisters Danielle and Alana. Now four years since their previous tour, the COVID sentence has been lifted — and you can hear the elation in Este’s voice as she sits in a coffee shop in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the start of Haim’s global tour. Photo by Reno Silver “This isn’t hyperbole, but playing is the only thing that brings me pure, unadulterated joy,” she allows. “We’ve been chomping at the bit to perform this music that we released two years ago, so there’s all this pent-up energy and excitement. Being back onstage rocking out with my sisters is the best feeling on earth. I finally feel myself again.” Este was destined to be a bass player. Growing up in a musical family as the oldest of three daughters, she was always drawn to music, thanks to her drummer dad and guitar-playing mother. She had an early penchant for the drums, but that seat was already filled in her family, so she knew she had to pivot to another instrument to find her musical place. At age 8, she began to dabble on guitar, but that path was short-lived thanks to her talented five-year-old sister Danielle, who excelled and quickly took the second guitar chair. “It depressed me even at that age,” laughs Este. Her ill feelings didn’t last long, because her dad instinctively urged her to play bass — and thanks to an old VHS of Tina Weymouth and Talking Heads, she quickly found her passion in life. In hindsight, Haim sees her bass playing as the perfect connection to her drummer dad and guitarist mom. She’s embracing the middle ground by playing the instrument that marries the melody and the rhy