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"Any idea when you're chatting with the band?" a text pops up. "I was hoping to ask if I can be their fourth member."

There's just a single issue: I also wants to be Haim's newest recruit. What's more, we are not alone. Multiple celebrated admirers have openly petitioned for the honor.

One thing is obvious a special quality is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their career doing sets at local delicatessens with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy contenders.

Like all the best ensembles, they're a close gang. Their videos often depict them striding in harmony down the streets of Los Angeles. In concert, they perform with such boundless happiness you inevitably think, "I wish to be part of that, too."

"How often on tour that audience members came up to us and said, 'Watching you live, I picked up a guitar'," remarks Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That's the ultimate compliment. That is recognition in itself. We have succeeded if we can motivate others to make music."

"And thus all are welcome to be the fourth member of Haim."

Historic Nod

The trio are connecting from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an lengthy tour in for their latest album, I Quit.

They're presently processing the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammys – with Haim the first female band ever in contention for the award.

"I watch the announcements every year, so it sort of feels like The Truman Show when your name is read out," notes 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 is deeply felt by the trio.

"We really set out to make a rock album this time, so it's a major step," adds Alana. "However we're just grateful for the female artists that inspired us."

Heartbreak and Candor

The project came out of a phase of transition. All three sisters were single, and the music explores that unique liminal space where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to start anew.

The lyrics follow departures and partings. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've experienced. You can hear them figuring out in the moment who they are becoming.

"I love description, yes," agrees Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to actively work on ignoring the outside opinions and saying, 'I couldn't care less what people think'."

Development of Music

That newfound confidence required a new sound – more unpolished and immediate than anything 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 focus so intensely about it," she states.

"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our memoir," laughs Alana. "Our motto is, our albums won't commence until we find the ideal drum sound."

Stories and Shared Humor

The trio's openness fueled the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their personal misadventures.

One man ended things with Este over a medical concern. Alana told a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a high five at midnight.

"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's only darkness," notes Alana. "Therefore to be able to laugh at those stories and hear others tell you wilder stories, it's incredible."

A Secure Path

It's not difficult sense a change in the band. These days, Haim are more confident of their position in the industry.

They're festival headliners, with chart-topping albums and an worldwide following.

Yet the band will always be their number one commitment.

"My sisters and I have been making music since I was a young child," concludes Alana. "It feels as if no other path that we were destined for. And I'm really grateful we've gotten here and we're still kicking."