All Fans Are Invited to Join as the Additional Haim Member.
"Any idea when you're speaking to the Haim sisters?" a text pops up. "My request was to ask if I can be their fourth member."
However, there remains a key snag: The sender also desires to be the Haims' fourth member. And we're not alone. A host of high-profile supporters have openly coveted the position.
The evidence suggests a special quality is happening. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey performing shows at neighborhood delis with their family. Today, they are repeated Grammy nominees.
Similar to the best ensembles, they're a inseparable gang. Their music videos repeatedly depict them marching in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they jam with such unfettered joy you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be part of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that young girls came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the trio. "It is the biggest honour. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire people to start a band."
"And thus everyone are welcome to be the fourth member of Haim."
Historic Milestone
The trio are speaking from a break, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in contention for the prize.
"I tune into the nominations every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," explains Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The weight of the nomination is deeply felt by the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," says Alana. "However we're just grateful for the female artists that came before us."
Personal Turmoil and Humour
The project was born from a phase of personal change. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The lyrics track departures and goodbyes. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they aspire to be.
"That's a perfect description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to actively work on ignoring the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Development of Sound
That recent toughness required a different sonic direction – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that was founded on the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Laughter
The trio's honesty shaped the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic tales.
Someone ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Path
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their standing in the rock pantheon.
They're major draws, with successful albums and an global following.
Yet the band will forever be their top priority.
"My sisters and I have been making music since I was four," says Alana. "There is no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still making music."