Haim is pastiche in so far as they've gone to quite a lot of trouble to get mid-80s drum sounds and that bell-tone synth that was omnipresent and some of the vocals have got this harsh glace sort of process that's totally Lyndsey Buckingham on Tango in the Night
but
the emotions in the songs are totally real, coming from life
and
the sheer musicality in the playing, the rhythmatized singing, the guitar micro-licks, on 'Honey Hi', the way the grooves jump etc etc
to me it transcends pastiche
whenever i listen to that album i get this affect i can only describe as 'the shock of ability'
bit like listening to Off the Wall
very much an inegalitarian sensation of 'some people are just better'