All Fans Are Encouraged to Join as the Additional Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're speaking to the Haim sisters?" a text pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can be their fourth member."
There is only one problem: I also longs to be Haim's newest recruit. And we're in plentiful company. Multiple high-profile admirers have openly coveted the position.
It's clear something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their musical journey performing shows at local delicatessens with their family. Today, they are multiple Grammy hopefuls.
Similar to the best ensembles, they're a tight-knit trio. Their music videos often show them marching in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such pure exuberance you can't help but think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "It is the greatest compliment. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire people to start a band."
"Therefore everyone is invited to be the honorary part of the family."
Historic Nod
The band are connecting from a break, where they're taking a pause after an major tour in promoting their fourth album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first female band ever in contention for the award.
"I follow the lists every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is read out," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the accolade resonates with the sisters.
"We truly set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a significant achievement," continues Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the female artists that came before us."
Personal Turmoil and Candor
The project came out of a time of transition. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music explores that odd transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The lyrics follow endings and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in the moment who they are becoming.
"I love description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is like a personal statement. You have to actively work on shutting out the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Refinement of Style
That recent toughness called for a new sound – more unpolished and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that was founded on the drum sound.
"Percussion is such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our book," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Humor
The band's openness fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their dating tales.
One man broke up with Este over a health concern. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"During these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Future
You can clearly sense a change in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an international audience.
But the band will always be their top commitment.
"We have been performing since I was four," says Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still going strong."