“All I’m thinking about is you.”
Aly & AJ, born Godly & SlayJ, are ready to begin a new chapter.
It’s already been a big year for the girls, if by accident (such is the way of the Internet), after a bunch of moms went mega-viral on TikTok lip syncing to their 2007 smash hit, “Potential Breakup Song,” prompting tons of recreations and a massive streaming resurgence. (It’s got 63 million streams on Spotify alone – not too shabby.)
But! Aly & AJ are much more than their Hollywood Records days – which were good in their own right, don’t get me wrong. We do not disrespect Disney roots in this house. But from their phenomenal indie-pop return with 2018’s Ten Years to their totally unexpected, delightfully absurd retro dance floor banger earlier this year, “Joan of Arc on the Dance Floor,” it’s clear they’ve undergone a magnificent creative evolution.
And as of Wednesday (December 2), the duo is back for another round in the form of “Slow Dancing,” the first single from their forthcoming studio album. It’s bliss. And, according to themselves and their producer, it’s the music they were born to make.
The dreamy track, produced by Sanctuary collaborator Yves Rothman and co-penned with Ryan Spraker and Jeremiah Raisen (who worked on Sky Ferreira‘s Night Time, My Time – gay panic!), provokes an immediate nostalgia for some far-off summer, but lyrically, works perfectly for the present moment.
“It’s been days and weeks and months, feels like forever since I saw you / I’m forgetting how you felt now I’ve never had this much time on my hands,” they breathily reminisce along a gentle swaying beat – which feels all too real ten months deep into a pandemic.
“I don’t need anything fancy / I just need me and you slow dancing.”
The mesmerizing song makes for an endlessly romantic us-against-the-world anthem, especially as they subtly acknowledge the state of America in 2020, making for one hell of a Love In a Time of Coronavirus kind of song.
“I’ve got my reasons to complain, and they’re tangled in red, white and blue / The battle outside is blazing and all I’m thinking about is you.”
The track also expands beautifully, especially in its second half, proving to be a more robust instrumental production as it goes on: “this song would not exist in this form without the stunning work from the below ~ saxophone: Sylvain Carton, wurlitzer & guitar: Ben Zelico, bass & guitar: Jake Bercovici & Amir Yaghami from The Voidz, slide guitar/cello/organ: Stewart Bronaugh and drums: James McAlister.”
“This song brings us back to late summer nights in Laguna Beach. Spending the day near the beach but not on it. Trying to lay out on our Dad’s broiling deck working on lyric revisions. Dancing in the avenues on our way back from grabbing dinner, dogs in tow, laughing from too much wine. Every day we’d spend a lil extra time perfecting this song, until we knew we had gotten it just right,” they explained.
“It also brings us to the endless nights working with @yvesrothman this year to get this sound. His 12 hour days, six days a week, for almost this whole year. We couldn’t have gotten even close if it weren’t for Ryan Spraker, @yvesrothman & @sadpony . We hope this song brings you so much joy during a strange moment of existence. We don’t need anything fancy, just you dancing at our shows again someday.”
Frankly, these girls deserve to be big(ger): I could see their atmospheric vibe working well on a massive soundtrack. Euphoria? Something Timothee Chalamet is in? I don’t know. Something hip to give them the exposure they deserve beyond a playful pop hit from their teenybopper years.
“Aly, you are the best co writer, vocal partner and creative mind a sister could ask for. I’m so proud of this music. I truly feel we made the album we were born to make and I can’t wait to share it with the world. It starts here,” AJ sweetly wrote on her Instagram.
“We made the album we were truly born to make (as said by @yvesrothman our producer)…and this is the song to start off our journey. Enjoy and get ready to dance through 2021!” Aly wrote on her Instagram.
This is gorgeous way to begin a campaign, and although it’s only the first taste, it already sounds like they’re right about this upcoming record.
“Slow Dancing” is available now as a 7″.
This song is featured on the MuuTunes Spotify playlist.
You can also subscribe to MuuTunes on Apple Music.
Photo credit: @AlyAndAJ