Today, Aly & AJ announce the release of their new album ‘a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun’ which they will drop on May 7th, ushering in an era of pristine, organic, and liberating indie alternative that showcases a duo in the prime of their creative journey.
Aly & AJ To Perform “Listen!!!” on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee March 10
They will celebrate the album’s release on May 7th with a special one-night only virtual concert taking place at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, followed by a global virtual town hall the afternoon of Saturday, May 8th. Tickets go on-sale this morning at AXS.com.
New Single “Pretty Places” OUT NOW – LISTEN / WATCH
Produced by Yves Rothman and recorded with live instrumentation at the legendary Sunset Sound, the album finds its title taken from a lyric on the record that captures the essence of the 12-track collection — it swirls together sisterhood, solid songwriting, and the SoCal sun, creating an inspiring, invigorating experience that feels 70s-inspired yet undeniably cutting edge in the modern music landscape. They also are announcing a performance tomorrow (March 10th) on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on TBS) of album cut “Listen!!!”.
Today’s announce follows last week’s release of the duo’s latest single “Pretty Places“, a lush ode to escapism which personifies the beauty & freedom of the Cali coast, which was accompanied by a music video (directed by Michelle Laine & Stephen Ringer) that plays like a collection of self-shot road trip movies… it’s a gorgeous look at getting out of the maddeningly numbing humdrum of day-to-day life and finding the “pretty places” that make us feel whole again.
The track falls perfectly in-line with the essence of the ‘a touch of the beat…’ record as a whole, which uses its dreamy sonic landscape as a canvas to express themes of escaping a self-limiting relationship (on advanced single “Listen!!!” which was praised by NY Times, Rolling Stone, The Fader & V Magazine), pausing the clock and taking time to cherish the little things in life that mean so much (on fellow early single “Slow Dancing” which Paper Magazine debuted) as well as personal growth, self-understanding, and perseverance.
“There’s nothing more satisfying then sitting in a room asking the universe to humbly bring you the bones of a song,” said Aly & AJ about the creation of the new album. “Especially when you have a creative genius as your producer (Yves Rothman) constantly encouraging you to not jump ship, and to trust the process. We started conversations around making a full album together way back in early 2019, but it wasn’t until a writing trip in the fall that the record started to take shape. There were many discussions over the sound of this record, the overall tone, and what we wanted to accomplish. Yves made us feel free to be exactly who we were. That we needed to show people that we were two American girls who grew up in the Valley in LA that intend on putting out positive, inspirational, but also revealing and honest writing into the world.
We weirdly held an unnatural confidence over the recording & writing process this year (even when things would start and stop given all of the Covid shutdowns). It was like we were meant to make this music regardless of the world falling into the abyss because it was the record we were always born to make.
That’s what music is all about though at the end of the day. The SONGS! The way it makes you feel, the memories you associate with it, the healing it brings, the celebration a chorus delivers you when your windows are rolled down and life feels perfect for that one fleeting moment. The feeling of getting back out into the sun.”
Aly & AJ ended 2020 with major momentum thanks to the explicit rerelease of their nostalgic pop anthem “Potential Breakup Song“ after it experienced a resurgent blow-up on TiKToK, following their other acclaimed 2020 smashes “Joan of Arc on the Dance Floor” (included in NPR’s “Best Music of 2020” list) and “Attack of Panic” (included in Billboard’s “30 Best Pop Songs of 2020” list).
“Aly & AJ just keep winning.” – The Fader
“Aly and AJ’s newest proves that they’re still just as badass.” – V Magazine
“Aly & AJ Came to F––k 2021 Up.” – Vulture
“Ushers in a new musical era for the duo.” – HypeBae
“The Michalka sisters continue their steady string of winning releases…
that would make the Laurel Canyon rockers of yesteryear proud.” – E! News
Tracklisting for ‘a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun’
- Pretty Places
- Lost Cause
- Break Yourself
- Slow Dancing
- Paradise
- Symptom of Your Touch
- Lucky to Get Him
- Listen!!!
- Don’t Need Nothing
- Stomach
- Personal Cathedrals
- Hold Out
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