Everyone is Encouraged to Join as the Fourth Haim Bandmate.
"Do you know when you'll be interviewing the band?" a message reads. "I wanted to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
However, there remains a single issue: The sender also longs to be the Haims' newest recruit. What's more, we are not alone. Several famous supporters have also petitioned for the honor.
It's clear something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their path doing sets at neighborhood delis with their family. Today, they are multiple Grammy hopefuls.
In the tradition of the most iconic groups, they're a tight-knit unit. Their visuals frequently feature them marching in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they perform with such unfettered joy you can't help but think, "I'd love to be involved in that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," says Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "It is the greatest compliment. It is a prize in itself. We have succeeded if we can encourage people to form a group."
"So all gets an invitation to be the fourth member of Haim."
Grammy Recognition
The band are speaking from a break, where they're recovering after an lengthy tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been nominated for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-female band ever in contention for the award.
"I tune into the nominations every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is announced," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this correctly or am I hallucinating'?"
The significance of the nomination is deeply felt by the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," continues Alana. "However we're just grateful for the female artists that came before us."
Personal Turmoil and Humour
The record came out of a period of emotional upheaval. All three sisters were single, and the music inhabits that odd in-between place where you're relieved to be free, but not quite ready to move on.
The themes detail endings and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've had. You can hear them working out in the moment who they aspire to be.
"I love way of putting it, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a mantra. You have to consciously practice shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Refinement of Sound
That developed resilience required 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 was founded on the percussion.
"Percussion is such a nuanced thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," laughs Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The trio's honesty inspired the album's rollout, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic tales.
Someone ended things with Este over a health concern. Alana told a story of flying to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "So to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Legacy
It's not difficult sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their standing in the music world.
They're major draws, with successful albums and an global audience.
But the band will consistently be their number one priority.
"We have been playing music since I was four," says Alana. "It's like no other path that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've reached this point and we're still kicking."
