Aly & AJ are making up for lost time, and they’re doing it fast. Just two years after A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun, they’re back with With Love From—and it’s got a whole new vibe. Instead of leaning into sun-soaked Laurel Canyon nostalgia, they’re hitting the road with Americana-infused tracks that feel like they’ve traveled a few thousand miles.
“It feels like one continuous cycle,” Aly says, laughing about how they barely took a breath between albums. After years of sporadic releases, the sisters are locked in and letting live performances shape their sound. They even re-recorded parts of the single “With Love From” because of how differently it played on stage. “We gave everybody a heart attack,” AJ admits, but it was worth it.
This new record doesn’t just sound different—it feels more realized, more lived-in. The sisters credit touring for that, saying the countless shows helped them find a new confidence as a band rather than just a duo. “We’ve always wanted to feel like more than just two people on stage,” Aly says. “We leaned into the musicians around us and really approached this like a full band project.”
The album leans into influences like Linda Ronstadt and The Judds, with a bit of the dusty, open-road feeling that the sisters say is drawn from their time on tour. It’s not Laurel Canyon anymore—it’s Missouri, Texas, and the kind of wide-open spaces that make you think of long drives and half-forgotten dreams. “We wanted it to feel like it’s been places,” says AJ. “Like it’s traveled and soaked in the landscapes.”
One standout track, “Blue Dress,” dives into complicated feelings of confidence and vulnerability, and it’s clear the song’s power isn’t lost on them. “Personally, I don’t think I could actually say ‘I don’t care who you’ve been with’ to someone,” AJ confesses. “But that’s what I love about the lyric—it’s a confidence I wish I had.” Aly adds that the dress itself is a symbol—a way of masking insecurities and putting on a front for someone else. “We all have our own version of a blue dress,” she says. “Something we wear to convince others—and maybe ourselves—that we’re stronger than we feel.”
Beyond the Americana vibe, the record still holds onto the sisters’ pop sensibility from their younger years, even if it’s buried under layers of folk rock. Tracks like “Talking in My Sleep” still lean into their catchier side, but even those moments feel more organic, more intentional. “It’s kind of like finding that sweet spot where our roots meet our evolution,” Aly says.
Another track that stands out is “Way of Nature, Way of Grace,” a collaborative effort with Joy Oladokun, whose voice adds a layer of gospel-inspired harmony to the track. The connection with Joy came about through mutual admiration and a chance meeting at Lollapalooza. “She’s having such a moment right now, and it just felt right to bring her in,” AJ says. “We’ve never had a feature before, but this one felt like a perfect fit.”
The sisters also drew inspiration from filmmaker Terrence Malick for that song, even going so far as to get his blessing to use some of his words from his scripts. “I was able to get the song to him through a mutual connection, and he gave his approval,” AJ shares. “That felt pretty surreal.”
For Aly & AJ, With Love From feels like a triumphant return to their roots while also marking a bold step forward. They’re finding ways to blend their early pop sensibilities with Americana and folk rock, creating a cinematic, road movie vibe throughout the album. “It’s about feeling like you’re on a journey,” Aly says. “Whether it’s a literal road trip or just figuring out where you belong in the world.”
With this new album, Aly & AJ are showing just how far they’ve come—and how far they still want to go. Whether it’s breaking out of old molds or finding new ways to connect through storytelling, they’re proving that sometimes reinvention means going back to where you started and building from there. And honestly, it suits them better than ever.
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
