Aly & AJ are entering a deeply personal chapter, with their new releases "What It Feels Like." The track celebrates shifting identities, family, sisterhood, and the complex experience of growing into new phases of life. The track explores the possibility of finding beauty in change. "What It Feels Like" is a product of a decidedly collaborative creative team, with Aly Michalka, AJ Michalka, Drew Erickson, and Jonathan Wilson all credited as writers. Wilson also produced the track. Wilson plays drums, bass, electric guitar, Wurlitzer, and zither while Joe Kennedy plays piano, providing a rich instrumental bed for the sisters' vision.
The song is essentially about womanhood in an objectifying culture, but it's seen through a personal lens. As a new mom and new aunt, the focus is on noticing physical changes and learning to admire them. That perspective gives the track an emotionally warm, acceptance-based feel. Family is another major aspect of its world. The song is an ode to sisterhood and family as a source of strength in difficult mental health moments, and it feels less like a statement about transformation and more like an acknowledgment of the people who help us navigate it. Also, a definite sense of artistic freedom beats through "What It Feels Like."
The song responds to an industry that often has expectations for women as they get older, while also addressing Aly & AJ's desire to make rock music on their own terms. This makes for a release which feels personal without sacrificing its broader resonance. "What It Feels Like" is about the tension, beauty, and uncertainty of becoming someone new and finding reasons to love the person you're becoming along the way.
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