The World Are Invited to Be the Extra Haim Sister.
"Any idea when you're speaking to the band?" a message arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can join as their fourth member."
There's just a key snag: The sender also longs to be the Haims' newest recruit. What's more, we are not alone. Multiple high-profile admirers have also coveted the honor.
The evidence suggests a special quality is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career doing sets at neighborhood delis with their family. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy Award hopefuls.
Like all the greatest groups, they're a tight-knit gang. Their videos frequently show them marching in sync down the roads of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such boundless exuberance you inevitably think, "I want to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," states Alana, the most junior of the Haim siblings. "That is the biggest honor. That's an award in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate young girls to start a band."
"So anyone is invited to be the fourth part of the family."
Award Nod
The group have called into home, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in support of their new album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been nominated for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in consideration for the award.
"I watch the nominations every year, so it almost feels like The Truman Show when your name is called," says Alana. "I needed to phone my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this correctly or am I imagining things'?"
The weight of the nomination resonates with the sisters.
"We really set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a major milestone," adds Alana. "However we're just thankful for the pioneers that came before us."
Personal Turmoil and Humour
The album emerged from a period of transition. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music captures that odd liminal space where you're happy to be free, but not yet ready to move on.
The words track departures and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them figuring out in real time who they are becoming.
"I love summary, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a personal statement. You have to make an effort in ignoring the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Style
That developed resilience demanded a different sonic direction – more unpolished and powerful than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that started with the percussion.
"The drum sound is such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," quips Alana. "Our motto is, our albums cannot begin until we find the perfect drum sound."
Stories and Collective Humor
The trio's openness fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal misadventures.
One man left Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"During these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and hear others tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Legacy
It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. These days, Haim are more certain of their standing in the industry.
They're major draws, with chart-topping albums and an global fan base.
But the band will always be their number one commitment.
"We have been playing music since I was four," concludes Alana. "There is nothing else that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still making music."