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 (6.23.23). 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.

Everything began with "Two Timin'," a longtime staple of The Watson Twins' live show. "When we were opening for Jenny Lewis in 2018, people kept coming up to us and asking which album 'Two Timin'' was on," Chandra remembers. "That song is a honky-tonk jam, but it never fit on any of our records. So we set out to create a home where it could comfortably live."

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. The sisters even sing every line together, alternating between gorgeous harmonies and unison melodies, and their songwriting has never sounded so sharp.

“...proof that the Watson Twins’ writing chops are as worthy
of a draw as their blood harmonies.”

— ROLLING STONE