A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun

Aly & AJ began conversations about making a studio album in early 2019, but "the record started to take shape" towards the end of that year. They recalled having numerous conversations about what the sound of the album would be like, and accredited album producer Yves Rothman with helping them to reach the sound they wanted. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on the production process of making the album. However, Aly & AJ stated that despite the "world falling into the abyss", it did not affect their musical process, since they felt "it was the record we were always born to make". Both sisters commented on the control that they felt whilst making the album. Aly stated that with previous albums, it was easier for them to be "derailed in terms of our taste or our opinion". Aly & AJ told Bustle that A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun would not be like their two extended plays (EPs), Ten Years (2017) and Sanctuary (2019). They explained that those two EPs were heavily influenced by 1980s electro-synth pop music, while this album was inspired by 1960s and 1970s rock, as well as the music of their state, California. AJ felt that whilst their previous EPs were great since they "really represented where [they] were at that time as musicians", they were going for a "timeless vibe" with this body of work. Aly & AJ wanted to write something similar to a classic record that makes listeners feel "suspended in time", and hoped that listeners would not be able to decipher the time period in which the album was made. They wanted to capture what they "associate with being California kids", and expressed their excitement to play the songs live. The sisters also hoped that the "really positive and hopeful outlook" of the songs would "make people get up on their feet and out and into life". ==Music and lyrics==

member Nancy Wilson provided backing vocals and played guitar for "Listen!!!". Musically, A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun was described by music critics as a pop a "vintage" sounding song with a "unique, modern twist". The lyrical content of the song "embodies the feeling of driving down the Pacific Coast Highway on a dreamy evening, watching the sunset and sticking your head out the window to feel the warm air". With a "pristine, throwback synth production and an earworm hook", "Symptom of Your Touch" follows. Nylon wrote that the song is a reflection of the album as a whole. Aly & AJ stated that the song discusses the feeling of being trapped in a relationship or system. Aly added that the song is a reminder that "you might be lost but you always know your way out". The sisters worked with songwriter Jorge Elbrecht for "Listen!!!", which they described as a "breakthrough" for their songwriting experience, since they admired his work. Aly and AJ's long-term mentor Nancy Wilson provided background vocals and played guitar on the song since it caught her attention. "Don't Need Nothing" is a "twinkling and thumping" song that lends a lyric to the title of the album. Aly stated that once they had written the song, it acted as a "greenlight" for them to make an album with "Don't Need Nothing" on the track listing. ==Release==

Following their 2007 song "Potential Breakup Song" gaining traction on the video-sharing social networking service TikTok in late 2020, Aly & AJ called their manager, Jared Rosenberg, to "strategize". with its music video being released two weeks later. With the release of "Listen!!!", it was announced that the duo would be releasing an album in spring 2021. On March 5, 2021, "Pretty Places" was released as the third single from A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun, along with its accompanying music video. The duo described the song as their "favorite song [they had] ever written". Then on March 9, 2021, the album title and release date of May 7, 2021 was announced. Aly told People that since it had been 14 years since their last release, Insomniatic (2007), it felt like their first album release again. It was released as a digital download and a vinyl record. The single's music video was released on April 20, 2021. This was followed by the release of "Don't Need Nothing" as the album's fifth single on April 23, 2021 with its music video being released a week later on April 30. The album was released through Aly and AJ's own record label, and was distributed through Sony-owned distribution company AWAL. They released the second single from the deluxe album, "Am I Alright", on October 24, 2021. "Dead on the Beach" was released as the third single from the deluxe edition on January 14, 2022. ==Critical reception==

A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun was generally well-received by music critics upon its release. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Tim Sendra concluded that, "Aly & AJ are totally in charge here and doing their own thing quite well. Not many artists make as much out of their second chance as the sisters do, and hopefully their excellent album will find the audience it deserves." The album was placed at number 35 in The Guardian's list of the 50 best albums of 2021, with Laura Snapes describing it as a "dreamy collection of west coast pop-rock, a vision of Robyn-gone-Laurel Canyon". ==Track listing==

Adapted from the credits on Aly & AJ's official YouTube channel. Musicians • Aly Michalka – vocals • AJ Michalka – vocals, percussion (2) • Yves Rothman – Roland Juno-60 (1, 2, 5–7, 9–11), Minimoog (1, 2, 4, 8), Mellotron (1–4, 12), electric guitars (1, 2), Roland TR-505 (1–4), drum programming (1–3, 5–11), drums (2), synth bass (5–7, 10, 11), Ensoniq ASR-10 (8), percussion (10), programming (12) • Benjamin Zelico – Wurlitzer electric piano (1, 3–7, 9), electric guitars (1), percussion (1–3, 10, 11), Yamaha DX7 (2), drums (2, 10, 11), acoustic piano (3, 5–7, 9, 11), guitars (4–7, 10), programming (7, 12), Roland Juno-106 (8) • Joe Kennedy – acoustic piano (2), analog synthesizers (2, 5, 6, 9–12), guitars (2, 5, 6, 8–12) • Jorge Elbrecht – synthesizers (3, 5, 6, 9), programming (8) • Stewart Bronaugh – organ (4), slide guitar (4), cello (4) • Jack Tatum – synthesizers (8), guitars (8), backing vocals (8) • Sam Stewart – acoustic guitars (1, 2), baritone guitar (1, 2), 12-string guitar (1, 2), guitars (7, 11) • Amir Yaghmai – electric guitars (3, 5, 8, 9, 12) • Nancy Wilson – guitar (8), backing vocals (8) • Melissa Etheridge – guitar (12) • Thomas Drayton – bass (1, 2, 8, 10, 11) • Jake Bercovici – bass (3–5, 9, 12) • James McAlister – drums (1, 3–6, 8, 9, 12), percussion (4), drum programming (4–6, 9) • Sylvain Carton – saxophone (3, 4) • Derek Stein – cello (5, 6, 12) • Linnea Powell – viola (5, 6) • Adrianne Pope – violin (5, 6) • Mona Tian – violin (5, 6) Production • Yves Rothman – producer, engineer, mixing (1, 2, 4, 7–12), editing (3, 5–7, 9–12) • Benjamin Zelico – additional production (1, 2, 7, 10, 11) • Ainjel Emme – vocal production • Jesse Lee Newport – engineer, mixing (4, 8) • Adam Hawkins – mixing (3) • Michael Ilbert – mixing (5, 6) • Nate Haessly – assistant engineer (1, 3–6, 8, 9, 12) • Chris Allgood – mastering • Emily Lazar – mastering • The Lodge (New York, NY) – mastering location • Susanna Howe – creative director • Jimmy Turrell – artwork • The Collective Works – design • Stephen Ringer – photography • Amanda Charchian – back cover photography • Jared Rosenberg – management ==Charts==