Haim have offered an early glimpse into their next album, telling NME that New York has been fueling their creativity and that they are “always writing”.
Also read: Este Haim discusses scoring Bella Ramsey film Sunny Dancer and Haim’s fifth album shaped by New York
The Los Angeles group, featuring siblings Danielle, Este and Alana Haim, put out their fourth studio album, ‘I Quit’, during the summer of 2025.
During a recent conversation with NME, Este spoke about creating the soundtrack for the new Bella Ramsey movie Sunny Dancer with Zachary Dawes, known for his work with Lana Del Rey and The Last Shadow Puppets. The bassist was also asked whether Haim had started developing fresh music.
“Haim business is open for business, 24 hours, seven days a week,” the musician responded. “We’re always writing, we’re always thinking about what the next thing is going to sound like.”
Still, Este indicated that the sisters are not rushing into their fifth album and plan to give themselves enough space to discover new ideas. She explained that she “just want[s] to live in it a little bit and experience life”.
“I want to revel in being married for a minute,” Este went on. “I didn’t get married until I was 39, so now I want to enjoy it and stop and smell the roses for a little bit.”
Discussing what has been sparking ideas for Haim and possibly influencing the direction of their upcoming project, Este pointed to the time she has spent in New York and the friendships she has been able to revisit there.
“I’ve really found New York to be very inspiring. Being here and reconnecting with friends that I went to college with and didn’t have the chance to hang out with because I was living in LA has been really great.
“And the energy in New York, I’ve really been thriving in it. You go outside of your door and you’re in the shit; you are in the flow whether you like it or not. I’ve found it really inspiring – just the energy and the sounds of New York, it’s so different for me.”
Asked how those surroundings might eventually translate into Haim’s music, Este kept the details under wraps, saying: “We’ll have to wait and see! I don’t know the answers yet, but I’m having a great time figuring it out!”
Este has also worked with Christopher Stracey on the music for the upcoming Callum Turner film One Night Only. Her previous composing credits include Netflix’s Maid and the Sydney Sweeney romantic comedy Anyone But You.
She takes on the role of Aura in Sunny Dancer as well. Meanwhile, her sister and fellow Haim member Alana Haim has appeared in The Mastermind, The Drama and One Battle After Another within roughly the last year.
Haim marked the arrival of ‘I Quit’ last summer by playing an unannounced performance at Glastonbury Festival. After completing a run of North American dates, the trio embarked on a UK arena tour later that year.
‘I Quit’ earned a place on NME’s ranking of the 50 best albums released in 2025, while ‘Relationships’ was included among the publication’s standout songs of the year. A deluxe version followed in October, adding ‘Tie You Down’, a collaboration with Bon Iver.
Awarding the original release four stars, NME said: “‘I Quit’ is set at a crossroads in the grieving process, when lessons have already been learned, but the pain of memories still linger.
“But this is still a Haim album, and their songs never linger on despair, are never far from the warmth of their sisterhood. They’re no longer the pop group you once knew, but this record is proof that sometimes, you really do need to let go in order to grow.”
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
