The Watson Twins

Long before their entwined voices took them around the world — first as harmony singers for Jenny Lewis, then as leaders of their own critically-acclaimed band — The Watson Twins grew up in the American South. They sang in the church choir. They listened to gospel classics and country standards. Those sounds became part of their musical foundation, connecting the siblings to their Kentucky hometown even after they relocated to Los Angeles and, years later, settled in Nashville. Chandra and Leigh Watson's southern roots break through the surface once again with Holler. Recorded with their Tennessee-based touring band and produced by Grammy nominee Butch Walker, it's an album that highlights the identical twin sisters' songwriting chops and vocal chemistry. Songs like "Two Timin'" and "The Palace" make room for Telecaster twang and honky-tonk harmonies, while ballads like "Never Be Another You" are countrified classics for the modern world. Together, these 10 songs nod to the siblings' old-school influences while boldly pushing forward into new territory.

Captured during a series of live-in-the-studio recording sessions, Holler isn't just The Watson Twins' most collaborative album to date — it's their strongest, too. For years, Chandra and Leigh had written songs separately. "We're natural partners because there's two of us," says Leigh. "We've been collaborating since birth, but since we already share DNA, parents, and clothes, we wanted to create our own songs." That began to change with 2018's DUO, an album that found the sisters joining forces not only as crooners, but as composers, too. DUO marked a new beginning for The Watson Twins, with Rolling Stone praising the record's "swooning, vintage-friendly grace." Holler explores that partnership on a deeper level, with occasional co-writes from the likes of Brian Elmquist (The Lone Bellow) and producer Jacob Sooter.

When it came time to record Holler, The Watson Twins found a natural partner in producer Butch Walker. Like them, Walker was a southern native who'd spent more than a decade in Los Angeles, blurring the lines between indie music, rock & roll, and more rootsy sounds. Weeks after he moved to Tennessee, the Watsons found themselves in his recording studio, surrounded by the musicians who'd become their go-to bandmates. With Walker joining the group on harmony vocals, acoustic guitar, and the occasional guitar solo, the band tracked each song live, capturing the spirit and spontaneity of The Watson Twins' concerts in real time. Chandra and Leigh even recorded their vocals simultaneously, both singers standing within arm's length of one another, matching their vowel sounds and mouth shapes while the tape rolled. With numerous appearances on albums by Jenny Lewis, Harry Connick Jr., and others, The Watson Twins have woven themselves into the 21st century's musical fabric. Holler finds them carving out their own space once again — not only as singers, but as writers and frontwomen, too. It's an album about highs, heartaches, harmonies, and the joy of togetherness. Holler if you hear them.