All Fans Are Encouraged to Join as the Fourth Haim Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're chatting with the band?" a text arrives. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
There is only a single issue: The sender also wants to be Haim's additional sibling. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. A host of high-profile admirers have openly petitioned for the role.
One thing is obvious a special quality is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey playing gigs at local delicatessens with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy nominees.
Like all the best bands, they're a tight-knit gang. Their visuals often depict them marching in sync down the roads 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 young girls told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That is the biggest honor. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire young girls to form a group."
"Therefore all gets an invitation to be the honorary Haim sister."
Grammy Milestone
The trio are connecting from home, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.
They're right now processing the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the very first female band ever in contention for the trophy.
"I follow the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The significance of the honor is deeply felt by the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major milestone," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the female artists that inspired us."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The album was born from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that unique liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The lyrics follow departures and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them determining in the moment who they want to be.
"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to consciously practice ignoring the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Development of Sound
That recent confidence called for a different sonic direction – more raw 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 nuanced thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our memoir," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The trio's openness inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their personal tales.
Someone broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"When you're going through these breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," explains Alana. "Therefore to be able to find humor in those stories and hear others tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."
A Secure Path
You can clearly sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their place in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an international following.
But the band will consistently be their top priority.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was a young child," shares Alana. "It feels as if nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still going strong."
