All Fans is Welcome to Become the Additional Haim Bandmate.
"Any idea when you're interviewing the band?" an inquiry pops up. "I wanted to ask if I can be their extra sister."
There is only a key snag: I also longs to be Haim's fourth member. And we're not alone. Multiple high-profile admirers have publicly petitioned for the position.
It's clear an irresistible appeal is at play. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana launched their musical journey playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their family. Now they're multiple Grammy hopefuls.
Like all the best ensembles, they're a tight-knit gang. Their videos often feature them walking in harmony down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such unfettered joy you inevitably think, "I wish to be part of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Watching you live, I got a guitar'," remarks Alana, the most junior of the sisters. "That is the biggest compliment. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can motivate people to make music."
"Therefore anyone gets an invitation to be the honorary part of the family."
Award Recognition
The group have called into home, where they're resting up after an major tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're right now celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the first all-female band ever in consideration for the prize.
"I tune into the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is called," says Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this correctly or am I imagining things'?"
The importance of the accolade resonates with the band.
"We truly set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a major milestone," continues Alana. "Yet we're just thankful for the women that came before us."
Heartbreak and Candor
The record came out of a phase of emotional upheaval. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that odd liminal space where you're relieved to be free, but not entirely ready to start anew.
The themes follow departures and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the kind of love they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.
"That's a perfect way of putting it, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to actively work on ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Refinement of Music
That newfound resilience demanded a new sound – more organic and direct than anything the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the drum sound.
"The drum sound is such a nuanced thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our biography," quips Alana. "I've said it, our albums don't start until we find the perfect drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Laughter
The trio's openness inspired the album's marketing, where the sisters shared some of their dating tales.
A former partner ended things with Este over a health consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.
"When you're going through these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no light," explains Alana. "Therefore to be able to share those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
A Confident Future
One can easily sense a change in the band. Now, Haim are more assured of their standing in the rock pantheon.
They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide following.
Yet Haim will consistently be their top priority.
"Me and my siblings have been making music since I was little," says Alana. "There is nothing else that we were destined for. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still making music."