With Love From is the fifth studio album by American duo Aly & AJ, released on March 15, 2023, through AWAL. The duo promoted the album with an 18-date tour across North America in 2023.[2]
| With Love From | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 15, 2023 | |||
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| Length | 40:16 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| Aly & AJ chronology | ||||
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| Singles from With Love From | ||||
Composition
editWith Love From explores Americana, folk music, and indie pop with influences from country music.[5][6][7] Regarding this stylistic choice, AJ Michalka said "I think being that Aly and I come from pop songwriting, that will always be an underbelly to our writing. But I do think opening up into an Americana kind of folk fits Aly and I really well. It's something that we wanted to pursue when we were younger. We also grew up listening to a lot of music that fell into that category. But in a way, when you're a strong songwriter and you're really confident in your work and you're open to working with other people and you're open to diverse ideas, when it comes to kind of floating between genres, I think that's when you can shine because you're not boxing yourself into a genre."[5] The album was recorded shortly after the release of A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun and enlisted many of the same collaborators. The duo recorded the song live-to-tape when possible, which gives the record "a less glossy, more lived-in feel with lots of raggedly distorted guitars and spacey echo high in the mix".[6] In a review for Paste, Anna Govert wrote "More than anything, Aly & AJ have proven once again that they are so much more than the music they made when they were teenagers. Aly & AJ are releasing career-defining music (and have been for the past six years), and With Love From might top A Touch of the Beat as their best album to date."[8]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Paste | 8.1/10[8] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[9] |
AllMusic writer Heather Phares praised the group's new sound, but considered the more straightforward pop songs to be "forced".[6] Rachel R. Carroll of PopMatters wrote that "While With Love From is not the most visionary pop record released in recent years, it doesn’t need to be. Aly & AJ have an unflinching and often wry songwriting style that is recognizably theirs. They may not have taken many risks with their sound since a touch of the beat, but the care with which they craft their soundscapes makes the argument that consistency doesn’t have to be boring".[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Open to Something and that Something Is You" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Ryan Spraker | 3:24 |
| 2. | "With Love From" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, James McAlister | 3:59 |
| 3. | "After Hours" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Spraker | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Blue Dress" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Spraker | 4:08 |
| 5. | "Love You This Way" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Jorge Elbrecht | 3:12 |
| 6. | "Way of Nature Way of Grace" (featuring Joy Oladokun) | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Thad Cockrell, Eddie Spear | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Tear the Night Up" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Elbrecht, Yves Rothman | 3:28 |
| 8. | "Sunchoke" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, McAlister, Rothman | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Talking in My Sleep" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Leah Haywood, Dan Pringle | 2:51 |
| 10. | "Baby Lay Your Head Down" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Spraker | 3:44 |
| 11. | "6 Months of Staring Into the Sun" | Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Spraker | 5:10 |
| Total length: | 40:16 | ||
Personnel
editAly & AJ
- AJ Michalka – vocals (all tracks), production (1, 3–11)
- Aly Michalka – vocals (all tracks), production (1, 3–11)
Additional musicians
- Joe Kennedy – acoustic piano, organ, synthesizers, guitars
- Yves Rothman – synthesizers (3, 6, 7), drum programming (3, 6, 7), production (all tracks)
- Sam Stewart – guitars
- Amir Yaghmai – guitars (1, 4)
- Connor Sullivan – pedal steel guitar (1, 4), guitars (2)
- Keith Karman – bass
- James McAlister – drums (all tracks), percussion (all tracks), production (2, 8)
- Sylvan Carton – saxophone (3, 7)
- Joy Oladokun – vocals (6)
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | March 15, 2023 | ||
| August 31, 2023 | [10][11][12] |
References
edit- ^ Reul, Katie (November 2, 2022). "Aly & AJ Drop New Single, 'With Love From,' and Tease Upcoming Album: We 'Dug Deeper Into Americana Folk Music'". Variety. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Jones, Abby (January 25, 2023). "Aly & AJ Announce New Album With Love From, Share "Baby Lay Your Head Down": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ Rowley, Glenn (February 15, 2023). "Aly & AJ Pour One Out for the Night Owls on New Single 'After Hours'". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Aly & AJ - Blue Dress/Open to Something and That Something is You Dusk Blue 7". Merchbar. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ a b June, Sophia (March 15, 2023). "Aly & AJ on 'With Love From' & Their Americana Renaissance". Nylondate=March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Sendra, Tim. "Aly & AJ - With Love From Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Haile, Nardos (March 15, 2023). "Review: Enter Aly & AJ's voyage into the sun kissed desert". Associated Press. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Govert, Anna (March 14, 2023). "Aly & AJ's With Love From Is a Country-Inspired Confessional from the Road". Paste. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Carroll, Rachel R. (March 16, 2023). "Aly & AJ Relay Stunning Scenes on With Love From". PopMatters. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Aly & AJ - With Love From CD". Merchbar. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Aly & AJ - With Love From Black Boots 2LP Vinyl". Merchbar. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Aly & AJ - With Love From Cassette". Merchbar. Retrieved March 19, 2023.