Now, Aly & AJ have released their newest album a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun. The title comes from the lyrics of “Don’t Need Nothing” and sets the carefree and self-loving vibe that encompasses the entire album. California natives Aly and AJ Michalka wanted this album to make listeners feel the way California makes them feel. With energetic guitar riffs and mellow synths that scream West Coast, there is no question that these songs deserve to be on your best summer playlists. 

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More than that, the lyrics and emotions embedded in the songs are reminiscent of the universal human experience. The album touches on topics such as adolescence, depression, anxiety and relationships, treating each topic in a raw and relatable manner. This isn’t surprising from Aly & AJ, since both have been vocal supporters of mental health, feminism and LGBTQIA+ initiatives for many years.

Kicking off the album is its longest track “Pretty Places,” sitting at just over five minutes. Its timeless melody is a testament to the artists who have shaped their sound. It is noteworthy that the sisters both currently live in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. This iconic neighborhood was home to many influential musicians in the ’60s and ‘70s including the Byrds, Jim Morrison and Joni Mitchell. The impact of these artists can be heard throughout a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun. “Pretty Places” in particular is a yearning call to forget the past and find yourself while romanticizing the thought of getting in your car and driving across the country.

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In contrast, the next two tracks are all about being aware of your past and desperately wanting something new. The first verse of “Lost Cause” says it all: “Don’t tell me what I wanna hear/I don’t wanna hear you going on about it/Just Save me from another year/Looking through my rear view mirror/No, I don’t want that.” In “Break Yourself,” the duo are even more ready for change. They tap into the emotional situation of always having to hide who you are but not wanting to tame your true self anymore.

“Slow Dancing” is like a comforting hug on a warm summer night, with silky smooth instrumentals and hushed vocals. Compared to the first three songs, “Slow Dancing” has a more positive, rose-colored tint on love. “I don’t need anything fancy/I just need you and me slow dancing” explains that they don’t need any over-the-top displays of affection to stay in love. Sometimes the simple things, like a kitchen table in your lawn and a stereo, are all that you need to be content.

The next two songs are reminiscent of Ten Years and Sanctuary, the experimental synth-pop EPs the sisters released a few years agos. They are like flip sides of a coin even though both share the same core sounds. “Paradise” is a sunlight-infused, driving-with-your-windows down track, while “Symptom Of Your Touch” is a euphoric, dancing-in-your-room-at-night vibe.

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“Lucky To Get Him” is a warning about the unpredictability of love. They sing, “Don’t be foolish/One second can turn into a lifetime.” Referencing shooting stars and striking gold, Aly & AJ reveal a more upbeat outlook on relationships through this song. The stand-out feature, though, are the shimmering notes from the keys. It perfectly transforms the song into the musical embodiment of the moon and stars.

The duo joined forces with Nancy Wilson of Heart for “Listen!!!,” which is evident in the heavier rock sound. Lyrically, the song is also edgier, expressing dismay at the way someone acts. “Night after night/I express what I feared from the start/That your heart would never listen/I’m feeling like I’m a hostage here/It’s clear something went missing.” However, there is a hopeful tone that the future might be brighter than the present. “I might be lost but I know my way out”). 

The chorus of “Don’t Need Nothing,” which is the phrase from the album name, is repeatedly chanted in a melodic and sunny manner. This song is all about shedding your anxieties and letting the sun brighten your day. With COVID-19 keeping people indoors and hunched over their computers, it is more important now than ever to care for yourself. Even the simplest task of going outside to breathe fresh air can have a positive impact on your mental health. 

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“Stomach” is an introspective song about growing apart from someone you love. The title references having a stomach ache because of your emotions. They sing, “It hurts my stomach, cuts me like a knife/All these memories, they don’t feel like mine.” While “Stomach” is a melancholy ballad about losing love, “Personal Cathedral” is a commentary on the way much of society navigates love. They sing, “They treat these lonely dance floors/Like personal cathedrals/Even diamonds here don’t shine.” They even draw comparisons to cattle, that society is all about following the herd. 

To wind down the album comes “Hold Out,” with Melissa Etheridge lending her skills on the guitar. It perfectly brings together every song that came before it, and also signifies the overall tone shared across the album. The ballad touches on the topic of mental health and asks a question: “Will you catch me?” Like most people, Aly & AJ want to know they have someone who can be there for them when they are struggling. This song is motivation to allow yourself to reach out when you need help and to remind you to never lose hope.

a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun dropped May 7, and you can listen to it here.

An obvious discrepancy exists in stage disposition. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, for example, has made quite the name for himself as a destructive performer with virtually no repercussion. However, earlier this week, we learned that a woman demonstrating similar (albeit even more restrained) behavior is just displaying “childish stage drama…” Thanks for the lesson, David Crosby.

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No surprise, though, there are a number of fierce femme performers out there who are hell-bent on pushing back. Read on for 10 women who smashed up their guitars and looked notably badass while doing it. 

Nancy Wilson (Heart)

Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson has been exuding rock ‘n’ roll vibes since the band’s inception. So, it’s hardly a surprise that she’s made a bold move or two over the course of her tenure. In 2011, she laid into her custom-made Hard Knocks guitar while closing out the band’s run with Def Leppard. The broken instrument later sold for nearly $1,000. 

Wendy O. Williams (Plasmatics)

Granted, just about everything Wendy O. Williams ever did looked remarkably badass. The Plasmatics vocalist had quite the flair for incredibly entertaining, destructive stage displays. In fact, compared to detonating cars and busting out sledgehammers, guitar smashing was among her more mild moves. To amp up the aggression, the punker occasionally brought out chainsaws to mutilate her instruments.

Ke$ha

Ke$ha used her 2010 American Music Awards performance as an opportunity to send a valuable (and totally appropriate) lesson. As the pop star finished out her hit “We R Who We R,” she held up her guitar to reveal the word “hate” scrawled out by red lines on the back. In her signature chaotic fashion, she went on to smash the guitar to pieces in just two swoops.

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Courtney Love

If there’s any artist we’d expect to smash up a guitar, it’s Courtney Love. Believe it or not, though, she doesn’t often channel that specific energy of her late husband and legendary guitar smasher, Kurt Cobain. The most iconic instance of her putting forth such a display actually occurred before they were even married. Love reportedly demolished her instrument in 1991 while opening for the Smashing Pumpkins. Unfortunately, no video documentation of the incident is readily available.

King Princess

King Princess was so (rightfully) unashamed of her onstage guitar smashing that she included it at the end of her music video for “Ohio.” In case throwing her instrument down wasn’t brazen enough, she went on to stomp on it multiple times before smashing it through the drumset. Talk about punk-level aggression…

Margo Price

As it turns out, guitar smashing isn’t limited to rock ‘n’ roll queens. Country star Margo Price proved this fact in 2018. During an extended live rendition of “Paper Cowboy,” the singer and multi-instrumentalist threw her guitar repeatedly against the ground before hopping on drums for nearly five minutes.

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Emily Armstrong (Dead Sara)

Dead Sara have been dishing out some seriously thrashy post-harcore energy since the early 2000s. Frontwoman Emily Armstrong doesn’t hold back with her aggressive performances, wildly exploring the stage and jumping straight into her crowds. No surprise, guitar smashing is a regular part of their live experiences. 

Poppy

It doesn’t seem like there would be much room for guitar destroying in a synth-pop performance, but leave it to Poppy to prove us wrong. In fact, she did it multiple times during her Am I A Girl? tour. The singer-songwriter closed out “X” with an epic display that involved decimating an acoustic guitar. 

Ritzy Bryan (The Joy Formidable)

Don’t let her pleasant demeanor and cute, vintage aesthetic fool you. The Joy Formidable’s Ritzy Bryan is just as capable of demolishing a guitar as she is shredding on it. She really drove this point home in 2010 when she opened their Reading Festival act with the display. Thankfully, there was another on hand for her to play for the rest of the set.

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Phoebe Bridgers

We’d be remiss in not including Phoebe Bridgers after her wild ride this past week. In case you missed it, the indie-rock musician stirred up some serious controversy with her Feb. 6 Saturday Night Live performance. After smashing her electric guitar during the closing track, “I Know The End,” she received a backlash of criticism for the destructive move. Of course, many were quick to point out that the response was disproportionate, presumably due to the fact that she’s a woman. Fortunately, artists as iconic as Dave Grohl were defended the action as totally in line with rock ‘n’ roll.

What are some of your favorite onstage displays of female empowerment? Let us know in the comments below!