ALY & AJ Make Lollapalooza Debut, Drop The National Cover
Yesterday, Aly & AJ etched another checkmark in their monumental 2021 when they hit the T-Mobile Stage at Lollapalooza. Their debut performance at the festival, a magnificent display of their artistry, took a packed field of Lollapalooza guests on a journey through their SoCal-inspired latest LP (‘a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun’) with lush, breezy live arrangements of album highlights like “Pretty Places” and “Break Yourself”, while also partially reimagining their smash hit “Potential Breakup Song” as a jazz standard.
Dressed by Giuliva Heritage, the two California girls wore handmade Italian garments, and delivered a perfect set to jumpstart the legendary festival’s main stage after its near two-year in-person hiatus.
“Being on stage at Lollapalooza completely encapsulated everything Aly and I love about live music,” said AJ. “An incredible band behind us, great visuals and a killer crowd. It was more than we could’ve ever imagined. We’ll never forget it.”
Also, today, the celebrated sister duo releases a moody take on The National’s “I Need My Girl” that feels almost otherworldly in its dreaminess.
“We’ve always looked up to the songwriting behind The National,” said Aly. “The lyrics to this song are just so gut wrenching & AJ’s added harmonies bring a haunting quality to the track.”
The road to Lollapalooza has been an exciting one for Aly & AJ. Last November, they saw “Potential Breakup Song” reignite online thanks to a viral explosion on TikTok. They responded by releasing an explicit, revamped version of the track, followed by the lead-up to their acclaimed new album (first in 14 years) that was called the “feel good album of the summer” by Vogue and received additional praise from NY Times, Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal, Billboard, Paper, NPR, MTV and many more. Over the past few months, they also have performed on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and WNYC. As The Fader so perfectly and simply put it: “Aly & AJ just keeping winning.”
Aly & AJ recently announced their 2022 “A Touch of The Beat” US & EU tour, which will travel to Los Angeles, New York City, London, Paris, Berlin, Chicago, San Francisco, and more. Full dates below.
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.”
