All Fans is Welcome to Become the Extra Haim Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're chatting with the band?" a message reads. "I wanted to ask if I can be their fourth member."
There's just a key snag: The sender also wants to be the Haims' newest recruit. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Several celebrated admirers have openly begged for the role.
The evidence suggests something is at play. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their career playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their parents. Today, they are multi-time Grammy contenders.
Like all the most iconic bands, they're a inseparable unit. Their music videos often depict them striding in unison down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they jam with such pure joy you inevitably think, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans came up to us and said, 'After your show, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That is the greatest honor. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate others to start a band."
"So all gets an invitation to be the next part of the family."
Award Nod
The trio have called into their homes, where they're resting up after an lengthy tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're presently reeling from the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-female band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I follow the lists every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the accolade is deeply felt by the trio.
"We really set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major milestone," continues Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the women that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The record was born from a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music inhabits that strange in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The lyrics follow endings and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them determining in the moment who they want to be.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to make an effort in shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Development of Style
That developed confidence called for a different sonic direction – more organic and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the percussion.
"Drums are such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," jokes Alana. "I always say, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The band's candor inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their personal tales.
A former partner broke up with Este over a health consideration. Alana recalled a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"Experiencing these setbacks, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Path
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their place in the rock pantheon.
They're major draws, with hit albums and an worldwide fan base.
But the sister act will forever be their top commitment.
"We have been performing since I was little," concludes Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still going strong."