Everyone Are Encouraged to Become the Fourth Haim Sisters Member.
"Any idea when you're interviewing Haim?" a message arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can become their extra sister."
There is only a single issue: The sender also longs to be the Haims' additional sibling. Furthermore, we are in plentiful company. Multiple celebrated admirers have also petitioned for the position.
The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana started their path doing sets at neighborhood delis with their parents. Now they're multiple Grammy contenders.
Like all the most iconic bands, they're a tight-knit gang. Their visuals repeatedly show them marching in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such pure happiness you can't help but think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a bass'," says Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That's the greatest honour. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can inspire people to start a band."
"And thus all are welcome to be the honorary member of Haim."
Historic Nod
The group are connecting from home, where they're resting up after an major tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're currently reeling from the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in the running for the trophy.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the accolade is deeply felt by the sisters.
"We truly set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major milestone," adds Alana. "Yet we're just grateful for the women that paved the way."
Heartbreak and Humour
The album came out of a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that unique transitional period where you're relieved to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The lyrics track breakups and partings. The sisters seek love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they want to be.
"I adore summary, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to consciously practice ignoring the noise and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Development of Sound
That developed resilience required a different sonic direction – more raw and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the percussion.
"Drums are such a specific thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," jokes Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the ideal drum sound."
Experiences and Collective Humor
The band's candor fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their dating tales.
A former partner ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," notes Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Legacy
It's not difficult sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more assured of their place in the rock pantheon.
They're festival headliners, with hit albums and an global following.
Yet the band will consistently be their number one commitment.
"Me and my siblings have been performing since I was little," shares Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were meant to do. And I'm really fortunate we've made it and we're still going strong."
