Aly & AJ just popped up on our radars again after a decade-long hiatus, with their new track “I Know” off upcoming extended-play album, “Ten Years.” If you remember them, this is a pretty big deal, because as we know, Disney stars take one of two routes: they grow up and disappear once their show ends, or they go on to start a new career.

Aly & AJ released their debut studio album, “Into the Rush,” in 2005, which was re-released in August 2006 with three new songs. The duo released their third studio album, “Insomniatic,” in 2007 and continued to release a few more songs under a new name, 78violet. In 2015, the two decided to change their name back to Aly & AJ, and now, a decade later, they finally released a new track under that original name.

The track is unlike any of their other music that they have released in the past, as expected, with dreamy sounds, high pitch vocals and old-fashioned vibes. Instead of releasing a basic track about heartbreak, like “Potential Breakup Song,” this song comes with more complex sounds and vocals. According to the duo, the song was written a few days after they found out a friend from their past lost his battle with cancer, the duo said in an interview with Billboard.

“After seeing such an outcry of love and support from his close friends and family we decided to write something dedicated to friendship and the commitment we are all capable of giving when someone needs us most,” they said.

After 10 years, the two have been “cocooning” their music into something more authentic and the duo said the rest of the tracks on the EP have come naturally.

The crazy thing about this track is that if you close your eyes and compare this song to one of Aly & AJ’s earlier songs, you can hear the duo’s maturity level change. Years ago the sisters decided to step away from music to focus on acting, but they were drawn into the studio once again.

The two weren’t major superstars, which is why they were able to take a 10-year hiatus and come back with a successful new track. Had they been bigger at the age, that could have possibly been damaging to them as people and to their careers. The two also represent two Disney stars that didn’t go in a rebellious direction, as in busting out of the brand like some other stars did, which also allowed them to grow up naturally and come back to create authentic sound.

Aly & AJ describe their new EP as West Coast pop with a strong ’80s influence. It takes a lot for Disney stars to successfully reinvent themselves naturally. There are not many Disney artists where you can say that a track they released was worth waiting 10 years for.

What the two have become is a symbol of early 2000s Disney nostalgia, which allows for them to have a seamless transition back into the music world. When young stars come out with a new album years later, most young fans have the strong opinion that they miss the old music that the artist used to produce. This is not the case for Aly & AJ. Fans have been accepting of their authentic and mature sound, which shows that the two will be successful in this harsh and judgmental industry.

They took a hiatus, lived their respective lives and came back to music with a totally new sound representing their growth as people and artists. If “I Know” is any reflection on what the album will sound like, I am extremely excited to hear it.

Phoebe Smith is a senior public relations major. Her column appears biweekly in Pulp. You can email her at phsmith@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @phoebesmithh5.

Published on November 12, 2017 at 10:53 pm