It’s been 14 years since the powerhouse sister duo Aly & AJ released their last full-length record, and today they return with ‘a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun’, a collection that’s more than just an album - it’s a sonic rebirth.
Produced by Yves Rothman and recorded with live instrumentation at the legendary Sunset Sound, the new album finds its title taken from a lyric on the record that captures the essence of the 12-track collection - it’s a blend of an unbreakable bond between two sisters, their west coast energy, and their innate sensibility to tell a timeless story. It finds two singer/songwriters balancing effortless melodies, lush instrumentation and heartachingly relatable lyrics. And somehow they still hold onto the charismatic charms that made them stand out as pop powerhouses in the mid-00s.
“Being able to create this album over the last year has been the most fulfilling piece of art we’ve made to date,” said Aly & AJ. “This truly feels like the album we were born to make”
This might be the truest representation of who Aly & AJ are as creative forces. ‘a touch of the beat…’ is steeped in heart-on-their-sleeve honesty, whether it’s on the triumphant Nancy Wilson-accompanied “Listen!!!”, their anthem to the open road “Pretty Places” or their closing track “Hold Out”, a stunning ballad featuring guitar work from Melissa Etheridge. The five pre-released singles “Slow Dancing”, “Don’t Need Nothing”, “Symptom Of Your Touch” and the aforementioned “Listen!!!” & “Pretty Places” have respectively earned respect from critics across the board, including NPR, New York Times, Billboard, Paper Magazine, The Fader, Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal, Nylon, V Magazine and more as well as a performance on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.
