The World Are Encouraged to Join as the Extra Haim Sisters Bandmate.
"When are you interviewing the Haim sisters?" an inquiry arrives. "I wanted to ask if I can become their fourth member."
There is only one problem: I also longs to be Haim's additional sibling. What's more, we are in plentiful company. A host of high-profile supporters have also petitioned for the position.
One thing is obvious a special quality is happening. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana launched their career playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their parents. Presently, they stand as multiple Grammy nominees.
Similar to the greatest groups, they're a inseparable gang. Their visuals repeatedly depict them walking in unison down the roads of Los Angeles. During performances, they perform with such boundless joy you find yourself thinking, "I'd love to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans told us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a bass'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "It is the biggest compliment. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate others to start a band."
"And thus everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary part of the family."
Historic Recognition
The band are connecting from home, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in promoting their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been nominated for a top rock honor at the Grammys – with Haim the pioneering all-woman band ever in the running for the prize.
"I watch the nominations every year, so it kind of feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," notes Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"
The weight of the honor resonates with the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a huge step," adds Alana. "But we're just appreciative for the women that inspired us."
Emotional Upheaval and Candor
The album came out of a phase of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music explores that odd liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to let go.
The words track breakups and farewells. The sisters seek love, but not the specific love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.
"I adore summary, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is like a slogan. You have to make an effort in shutting out the criticism and saying, 'I don't give what people think'."
Development of Style
That developed resilience demanded a different sonic direction – more organic and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who helped produce the album, that began with the drum sound.
"Drums are such a detailed thing, and I am so passionate about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our book," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the right drum sound."
Anecdotes and Collective Humor
The trio's honesty inspired the album's promotional campaign, where the sisters shared some of their dating misadventures.
A former partner ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana shared a story of travelling to spend New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," says Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's incredible."
An Assured Path
One can easily sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more confident of their place in the industry.
They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an worldwide audience.
However Haim will forever be their number one focus.
"We have been performing since I was four," shares Alana. "There is no other path that we were meant to do. And I'm really grateful we've reached this point and we're still making music."