Everyone is Encouraged to Be the Fourth Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be chatting with the band?" a text reads. "My request was to ask if I can become their fourth member."
There is only a key snag: The sender also desires to be the Haims' fourth member. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Several famous supporters have publicly begged for the honor.
One thing is obvious a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their career playing gigs at small eateries with their family. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy Award nominees.
Similar to the most iconic groups, they're a close gang. Their visuals repeatedly show them walking in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such unfettered happiness you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'After your show, I got a drum kit'," says Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That's the greatest honor. That is recognition in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire young girls to form a group."
"And thus everyone is invited to be the next part of the family."
Award Nod
The trio are speaking from their homes, where they're recovering after an extensive tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been in the running for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in contention for the prize.
"I watch the lists every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is announced," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The importance of the accolade is deeply felt by the sisters.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge milestone," says Alana. "However we're just grateful for the women that paved the way."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The album emerged from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that odd in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not yet ready to start anew.
The lyrics track endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to actively work on blocking the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Evolution of Sound
That newfound resilience called for a different sonic direction – more raw and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that was founded on the percussion.
"Percussion is such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Humor
The trio's candor inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.
Someone left Este over a health consideration. Alana shared a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," explains Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
A Secure Path
One can easily sense a change in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with successful albums and an worldwide audience.
But the sister act will forever be their number one priority.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was four," concludes Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still going strong."