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"Any idea when you're speaking to the band?" a message reads. "My request was to ask if I can be their newest bandmate."

There's just a single issue: The author likewise wants to be the Haims' fourth member. And we're not alone. A host of celebrated admirers have openly coveted the role.

It's clear something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana started their career performing shows at neighborhood delis with their family. Now they're multi-time Grammy Award hopefuls.

Like all the best groups, they're a inseparable gang. Their music videos often depict them marching in sync down the avenues of Los Angeles. During performances, they play with such boundless exuberance you can't help but think, "I wish to be involved in that, too."

"The numerous instances on tour that young girls told us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I got a bass'," states Alana, the youngest of the sisters. "That's the greatest honour. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage others to start a band."

"Therefore everyone is invited to be the fourth member of Haim."

Historic Recognition

The trio are connecting from their homes, where they're recovering after an major tour in promoting their latest album, I Quit.

They're right now celebrating the news it's been shortlisted for best rock album at the Grammy Awards – with Haim the first all-female band ever in contention for the award.

"I tune into the nominations every year, so it almost feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," notes Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Did I hear this right or am I hallucinating'?"

The weight of the accolade isn't lost on the sisters.

"We deliberately set out to make a rock record this time, so it's a significant step," says Alana. "However we're just grateful for the female artists that came before us."

Heartbreak and Humour

The record was born from a phase of personal change. All three sisters found themselves single, and the music inhabits that unique in-between place where you're glad to be free, but not quite ready to move on.

The words detail breakups and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the relationships they've got. You can hear them working out in real life who they want to be.

"I love description, yes," responds Danielle. "I Quit is essentially a slogan. You have to actively work on shutting out the criticism and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."

Development of Sound

That developed resilience called for a new sound – more unpolished and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.

For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that began with the percussion.

"Percussion is such a specific thing, and I am so passionate about it," she says.

"'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 right drum sound."

Anecdotes and Shared Camaraderie

The trio's candor fueled the album's rollout, where the sisters shared some of their dating misadventures.

One man broke up with Este over a medical consideration. Alana recalled a story of travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a casual gesture at midnight.

"Experiencing these breakups, you just feel like there's no light," says Alana. "Thus to be able to laugh at those stories and have them tell you even crazier stories, it's therapeutic."

A Confident Path

It's not difficult sense a shift in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their position in the rock pantheon.

They're festival headliners, with successful albums and an international audience.

But Haim will always be their primary priority.

"My sisters and I have been performing since I was little," shares Alana. "It feels as if no alternative that we were supposed to do. And I'm really fortunate we've gotten here and we're still kicking."