Aly & AJ Brought ‘More of a Rock Edge’ to ‘Potential Breakup Song’ — How ‘With Love From’ Is Different

Aly & AJ ring in their “Americana folk music” era with “With Love From” — the title single of their 2023 album. These sisters are known for their pop-rock sound — particularly “Potential Breakup Song” (and their explicit version of the original). Here’s what AJ Michalka said about being “comfortable writing pop music.”

Aly & AJ are the artists behind the 2022 release ‘With Love From’

Alyson and Amanda Joy Michalka are the artists behind the sister duo “Aly & AJ,” recently releasing the deluxe version of A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun.

In 2022, the artists released the first single of their upcoming era — “With Love From,” with this single acting as a departure from pop-rock heavy tracks like “Like Woah” and “Potential Breakup Song.”

Aly & AJ ‘felt comfortable’ writing pop music — ‘every song, in a way, is pop’

One of their most popular releases was created in conjunction with their time on Disney Channel. With Aly & AJ releasing music in 2020, the sisters released an explicit version of “Potential Breakup Song.” This new adaptation earned over 45 million Spotify plays, with the artists elaborating on their early sound. 

“Aly and I, we were inspired by pop music, because that’s what we were listening to at the time; we felt comfortable writing pop music,” AJ said during an interview with Variety. “Pop is still in our DNA — that’s songwriting at its essential core. Every song, in a way, is pop.” 

“With a lot of ways songs are formatted, they’re usually in a pop format,” she noted. “But I think for Aly and I, bringing in a little more of a rock edge, a little more guitar, a little more analog-leaning production as opposed to electronic-leaning synths.”

Aly & AJ will release their album ‘With Love From’ in spring 2023

The sisters’ record, “With Love From,” which shares the same title as the upcoming album With Love From, leans into “Americana folk music,” according to Aly. Since its Spotify debut, this track earned over 690,000 plays. 

“I’m hiding out in Missouri, not happy anywhere,” the first verse states. “I had it all in front of me, I didn’t even care / It’s kinda like a mystery / I’d even end up here / I packed up all I could carry, on a one-way fare.”

The sisters appeared in a “With Love From” official music video, earning thousands of views. They also announced their upcoming North American tour — less than a year after they appeared as the supporting act for Ben Platt.

With Love From is scheduled for a spring 2023 release. Until then, the artist’s 2021 release, A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun, is available on most major streaming platforms.