Everyone is Encouraged to Join as the Extra Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"When are you interviewing the band?" a message pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
However, there remains one problem: The author likewise desires to be Haim's newest recruit. What's more, we are far from alone. Several celebrated admirers have openly petitioned for the position.
The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their career performing shows at neighborhood delis with their family. Now they're multi-time Grammy Award hopefuls.
Similar to the greatest bands, they're a inseparable trio. Their videos often show them striding in unison down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such boundless joy you inevitably think, "I want to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that young girls came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a drum kit'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the trio. "That's the biggest honor. It is a prize in itself. Our mission is accomplished if we can inspire people to form a group."
"Therefore anyone is invited to be the next part of the family."
Grammy Nod
The group are speaking from a break, where they're resting up after an lengthy tour in support of their latest album, I Quit.
They're right now reeling from the news it's been in the running for a top rock honor at the Grammys – with Haim the very first female band ever in the running for the trophy.
"I watch the announcements every year, so it almost feels like a surreal movie when your name is read out," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I dreaming'?"
The weight of the accolade resonates with the band.
"We deliberately 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 Candor
The project emerged from a period of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The lyrics follow departures and goodbyes. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they are becoming.
"I adore way of putting it, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to consciously practice ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Development of Sound
That developed toughness required a fresh approach – more unpolished and immediate than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who worked on producing the album, that began with the percussion.
"Percussion is such a detailed thing, and I care so much about it," she states.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the perfect drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The trio's honesty fueled the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters revealed some of their romantic misadventures.
A former partner broke up with Este over a medical concern. Alana told 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. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Path
One can easily sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their standing in the rock pantheon.
They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an international following.
Yet Haim will always be their top focus.
"My sisters and I have been playing music since I was little," concludes Alana. "It's like nothing else that we were meant to do. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still making music."
