X-Cetra

Summer 2000 LP out now. Preteen pop group X-Cetra formed at the turn of the millennium in suburban Santa Rosa, CA. 11-year-olds Jessica Hall, Ayden Mayeri, and Janet Washburn and 9-year-old Mary Washburn spent their time singing, dancing, and making videos inspired by The Spice Girls, Fiona Apple, and Destiny’s Child. X-Cetra’s one and only album “Stardust” came to life when musician Robin O’Brien — Janet and Mary’s mom — agreed to record the girls in her home studio. Drawing on her arranging and production experience, O’Brien set the girls’ wildly original lyrics to electronica tracks by a friend on the tape trading circuit, Berlin musician Künstler Treu. The resulting blend of the girls’ unbridled creativity and O’Brien & Treu’s professional touch is an addictive pop album unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.