The World Are Invited to Be the Fourth Haim Bandmate.
"Do you know when you'll be chatting with the Haim sisters?" a text reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There's just one problem: I also desires to be the Haims' fourth member. Furthermore, we are not alone. A host of celebrated supporters have openly begged for the position.
The evidence suggests an irresistible appeal is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy nominees.
Like all the most iconic bands, they're a tight-knit unit. Their videos frequently feature them marching in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such pure exuberance you inevitably think, "I'd love to be part of that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'After your show, I got a drum kit'," says Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That is the ultimate compliment. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage people to start a band."
"Therefore all gets an invitation to be the honorary part of the family."
Award Milestone
The band are speaking from home, where they're resting up after an lengthy tour in for their new album, I Quit.
They're presently celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammys β with Haim the pioneering female band ever in the running for the award.
"I tune into the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the nomination is deeply felt by the band.
"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," continues Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the women that came before us."
Heartbreak and Laughter
The record came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The themes detail endings and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they aspire to be.
"I love description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to actively work on shutting out the noise and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Sound
That recent toughness required a different sonic direction β more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the percussion.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Laughter
The trio's honesty fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal horror stories.
Someone left Este over a health concern. Alana shared a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's incredible."
A Confident Path
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their standing in the industry.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide audience.
But the band will always be their top priority.
"We have been playing music since I was a young child," says Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still kicking."