Everyone Are Encouraged to Join as the Additional Haim Member.
"When are you speaking to the band?" an inquiry pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."
However, there remains a key snag: I also desires to be the Haims' newest recruit. What's more, we are far from alone. A host of celebrated supporters have also coveted the honor.
One thing is obvious something is going on. The siblings Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey playing gigs at local delicatessens with their family. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy Award contenders.
Similar to the greatest bands, they're a tight-knit trio. Their videos repeatedly depict them walking in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. In concert, they play with such unfettered exuberance you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be part of that, too."
"The amount of times on tour that audience members approached us and said, 'After your show, I got a drum kit'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That is the biggest honor. It is a prize in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage young girls to form a group."
"And thus all is invited to be the fourth part of the family."
Award Recognition
The band are connecting from home, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in for their fourth album, I Quit.
They're currently celebrating the news it's been nominated for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the first female band ever in the running for the award.
"I tune into the lists every year, so it sort of feels like a surreal movie when your name is announced," notes Alana. "I had to call my sisters to say, 'Did we just hear this right or am I imagining things'?"
The weight of the accolade is deeply felt by the trio.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a significant achievement," continues Alana. "However we're just grateful for the women that came before us."
Emotional Upheaval and Humour
The project came out of a time of emotional upheaval. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that odd transitional period where you're glad to be free, but not entirely ready to let go.
The lyrics follow endings and goodbyes. The sisters want love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them determining in real time who they want to be.
"I love description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a slogan. You have to consciously practice blocking the criticism and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."
Development of Music
That newfound resilience required a different sonic direction – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that was founded on the drum sound.
"Drums are such a detailed thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she emphasizes.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the title of our memoir," jokes Alana. "I've said it, our albums won't commence until we find the perfect drum sound."
Anecdotes and Shared Laughter
The trio's honesty shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters revealed some of their personal misadventures.
A former partner ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," explains Alana. "Thus to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you wilder stories, it's therapeutic."
A Secure Path
One can easily sense a shift in the band. Now, Haim are more confident of their position in the music world.
They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an international fan base.
But Haim will consistently be their top commitment.
"We have been performing since I was little," says Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still going strong."
