Everyone is Encouraged to Join as the Additional Haim Bandmate.
"When are you interviewing the band?" an inquiry reads. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
However, there remains one problem: I also desires to be the Haims' newest recruit. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Several famous admirers have also begged for the honor.
The evidence suggests something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their path doing sets at local delicatessens with their parents. Today, they are repeated Grammy nominees.
In the tradition of the best bands, they're a tight-knit trio. Their music videos often depict them marching in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such unfettered joy you can't help but think, "I'd love to be a piece of that, too."
"The numerous instances on tour that fans told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I picked up a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "It is the biggest honor. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can encourage young girls to make music."
"And thus all is invited to be the fourth Haim sister."
Award Nod
The band are connecting from a break, where they're resting up after an major tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're presently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the first female band ever in consideration for the award.
"I follow the lists every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is called," explains Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I dreaming'?"
The importance of the accolade isn't lost on the trio.
"We truly set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant achievement," says Alana. "However we're just grateful for the female artists that came before us."
Heartbreak and Laughter
The record came out of a time of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that odd in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.
The words detail departures and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've got. You can hear them determining in the moment who they are becoming.
"I love summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to actively work on shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Evolution of Style
That newfound toughness demanded a different sonic direction – more organic and direct than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that started with the drums.
"Drums are such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our book," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Camaraderie
The band's candor inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic tales.
One man broke up with Este over a health consideration. Alana told a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"When you're going through these setbacks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Path
One can easily sense a shift in the band. Now, Haim are more certain of their place in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an global following.
However the band will consistently be their top focus.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "There is no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've made it and we're still making music."