Deriving their project’s name from the combination of their middle names, the emerging, Los Angeles-based, fraternal twin sibling, indie electro pop duo Alexandra John — Liza and Weston Cain — officially formed back in 2020. But they can trace their passion for music, and the origins of their music careers to growing up in a musical household in San Francisco: Liza Cain spent much of her childhood dancing, acting and singing, as well as playing piano. Weston Cain is a seasoned multi-instrumentalist, who first started playing the drums when he was four, and picked up other instruments, like guitar and piano, as he grew older.
With Alexandra John, Liza and Weston Cain craft hook-driven indie electro pop influenced by Massive Attack, Glass Animals, and Zero 7 meant to embody both feminine and masculine energies. Fittingly, their creative process is rooted in their uniquely deep personal connection. “When my sister and I get into a room together to work there’s a kinetic, creative energy that’s so familiar,” Alexandra John’s Weston Cain says. “We just seem to feed off one another.” Thematically, the duo’s work tackles big, universal concerns including anxiety, addiction, grief, loss and more.
The duo’s debut EP Healing officially drops today, and the EP was written and informed by the weirdness, chaos and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We were all grieving our old lives and accepting the new,” Weston Cain explains. “Everyone goes through healing, every day. The EP lyrically breaks down the process of grieving from denial to acceptance. Each song on the EP adds a new layer of acceptance. It’s really about the growth we all go through while experiencing this crazy beautiful thing we call life,” Liza Cain adds.
Centered around Liza Cain’s self-assured and sultry pop starlet delivery gliding over a slick and contemporary production featuring skittering, trap beats, woozy and atmospheric synths, squiggling funk guitar, Healing EP‘s second and latest single, EP title track “Healing” is a slickly produced, glittery, lounge and club friendly bop that to my ears meshes 80s synth pop with trap and contemporary R&B. But underneath the slick production is earnest, seemingly lived-in lyricism with the song reminding and urging the listener that true healing can only happen when you’re in touch with and acknowledge your feelings.
Featuring videography by Mallory Tuner and Flasch World and edited by Flasch World, the accompanying video for “Healing” features the siblings performing the song and filmed through hazy and kaleidoscopic filters while serving lewks.
