The World Are Welcome to Join as the Additional Haim Member.
"Any idea when you're chatting with the Haim sisters?" a message reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their fourth member."
However, there remains one problem: The author likewise longs to be Haim's newest recruit. What's more, we are not alone. Multiple high-profile admirers have openly petitioned for the role.
The evidence suggests a special quality is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their career performing shows at small eateries with their parents. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.
In the tradition of the greatest ensembles, they're a close trio. Their videos frequently feature them marching in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. On stage, they play with such pure happiness you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls approached us and said, 'After your show, I bought a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That is the biggest honour. That's an award in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage people to make music."
"And thus all is invited to be the fourth part of the family."
Grammy Nod
The trio have called into a break, where they're resting up after an major tour in promoting their latest 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 first all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," explains Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the nomination is deeply felt by the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant achievement," says Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the female artists that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The project was born from a period of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.
The themes track departures and goodbyes. The sisters desire love, but not the kind of love they've got. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they aspire to be.
"I love description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to actively work on blocking the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Development of Music
That newfound toughness demanded a new sound – more unpolished and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," jokes Alana. "Our motto is, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Experiences and Shared Humor
The trio's candor inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic horror stories.
One man broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"During these breakups, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Legacy
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their place in the music world.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an global audience.
But the band will forever be their primary commitment.
"We have been performing since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "It's like no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still kicking."