Everyone is Encouraged to Join as the Extra Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"Do you know when you'll be chatting with the band?" a text pops up. "My request was to ask if I can become their newest bandmate."
There's just a key snag: The author likewise desires to be the Haims' additional sibling. Furthermore, we are not alone. A host of high-profile supporters have also coveted the role.
The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their path performing shows at local delicatessens with their parents. Now they're repeated Grammy Award nominees.
Similar to the most iconic ensembles, they're a close gang. Their videos frequently depict them striding in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such pure joy you inevitably think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that fans told us and said, 'After your show, I got a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the Haim siblings. "That is the ultimate honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage young girls to start a band."
"Therefore everyone gets an invitation to be the next part of the family."
Grammy Recognition
The group are speaking from home, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in support of their fourth album, I Quit.
They're right now celebrating the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in contention for the award.
"I follow the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," says Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The significance of the honor resonates with the band.
"We truly set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a major achievement," adds Alana. "Yet we're just appreciative for the pioneers that inspired us."
Heartbreak and Candor
The record was born from a period of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that odd in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The lyrics detail endings and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've had. You can hear them determining in real life who they are becoming.
"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to consciously practice ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That developed resilience demanded a fresh approach – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the percussion.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I am so passionate about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the subject of our memoir," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the ideal drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Humor
The trio's openness inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their personal horror stories.
A former partner left Este over a medical 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 breakups, you just feel like there's no hope," says Alana. "So to be able to share those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Path
It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. These days, Haim are more assured of their position in the rock pantheon.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an global fan base.
Yet Haim will always be their top focus.
"We have been playing music since I was a young child," says Alana. "It's like no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still kicking."