Everyone is Encouraged to Be the Fourth Haim Member.
"Any idea when you're speaking to the Haim sisters?" a message pops up. "My request was to ask if I can join as their newest bandmate."
There is only a key snag: The sender also wants to be the Haims' additional sibling. And we're not alone. A host of celebrated supporters have openly coveted the role.
The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their path playing gigs at small eateries with their parents. Now they're multi-time Grammy hopefuls.
Similar to the greatest ensembles, they're a tight-knit gang. Their visuals repeatedly feature them striding in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such pure happiness you can't help but think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members told us and said, 'After your show, I picked up a bass'," says Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That's the ultimate compliment. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate people to start a band."
"So everyone are welcome to be the next part of the family."
Award Nod
The band have called into home, where they're recovering after an extensive tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're right now celebrating the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in consideration for the award.
"I watch the lists every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the accolade resonates with the sisters.
"We truly set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major milestone," continues Alana. "However we're just thankful for the women that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Candor
The record emerged from a phase of personal change. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that strange liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The lyrics detail departures and farewells. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in real life who they aspire to be.
"I love way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to consciously practice blocking the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That developed resilience called for a different sonic direction – more organic and powerful than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drum sound.
"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I am so passionate about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our book," quips Alana. "I've said it, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Humor
The trio's honesty shaped the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their dating misadventures.
One man broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana shared a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Legacy
One can easily sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide following.
However Haim will forever be their primary priority.
"We have been playing music since I was a young child," says Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still going strong."