If you could press play on a sunset, Aly & AJ’s Silver Deliverer would be the soundtrack to the scene. Spanning across eleven tracks, the dynamic sister duo put their artistry on full display in a way the world has never seen them. With entrancing soundscapes that master the windows-down sound, Silver Deliverer shines with lush production that is reminiscent of the 70s and lyrical content that is striking, forward, confrontational, and direct. Highlighting the beauty of pain, growth, and change, Aly & AJ crafted a body of work that captures the life through all its’ complexity. Take the album’s opening tack, which is also the title track of the album, as the thesis statement of Silver Deliverer. With the chorus asking for liberation from the weight of change (“Silver deliverer, in a time of need can I borrow your wings?”), it’s almost as if the remaining ten tracks of the album provide that sense of deliverance. The next track, “What It Feels Like” starts that trend as it celebrates the honor and beauty that it is to grow older and never be the same (“Been lookin’ back at old photographs, the ones I used to push right past / I’m drawn to the ones where I’m mid-laughing, Yeah, Now I see the worth in that”).
As a whole, Silver Deliverer holds a triumphant and uplifting tone, yet each track harbors a sense of longing and weight to them. Despite the infectious bass and West Coast feeling, even the breezy and anthemic “Next To Nothing” carries the complexities of a relationship that is fleeting. “Lasso” mirrors that same story through another lens, diving deeper into all the things one would do for love (“If I could lasso you / I’d do it from the clouds / I’d paint a world for you / Where the sun shines”). “Dandelions”, which was written as Aly was expecting her first child, expresses a longing wish for a fruitful life for a child who will grow up in a complex world (“You’re coming into so much pain / We try to do the best we can / Try to leave it all to fate”). “I Don’t Know What It Is” directly confronts the disconnection that can accompany moving somewhere new (“Now we’re coming up on spring and I can’t help but feel regret for everything I left the canyon for”), while “Take Your Time” stunningly captures this haunting feeling of anticipation. That same haunting feeling is prevalent on “If You Get Lonely”, which sonically reflects the weight of uncertainty while creating a lyrically reassuring space (“On a blacktop road / Chasing the sunrise / Only one place to go / Runnin’ to your side / If you get lonely, I’ll be there”). Aly & AJ’s sense of alignment within their own sisterhood is clear as day throughout Silver Deliverer. Both melodically and lyrically, the duo managed to create an album that is simultaneously an introspective look, as well as a retrospective one.
Look no further than a track like “Sirens”, which directly confronts and addresses the mass shooting that happened after their April 2022 show in Sacramento, California (“It could’ve been me / Instead it’s sirens over their bodies / Another day in America”). That confrontation is also prevalent on “Michael”, which navigates the loss of Aly & AJ’s close friend and business manager, Michael Oppenheim. With such a striking lyric like “We always think there’s a next time”, the track is an honest and transparent reflection of grief, ending with a reminder that what is lost is never forgotten (“Who you are is what I hold / When I miss you I know you live on in your daughters’ smile”). The poignancy of Silver Deliverer captures a journey of pain and existence. Aly & AJ certainly highlight throughout the album that the dichotomy of those two things are always prevalent.
Yet, as the album began through a timid lens, asking for deliverance in a time of need, it feels like the final track of the album, “Places To Run”, answers that question. There’s a clear shift of perspective on the track, as the second verse goes, “It hasn’t rained since back in May, is that a sign? That I’m on track to getting better in the meantime.” There’s this breeze of acceptance that the obstacles life brings along may hurt, but they are only what we allow them to be. “You’re my favorite face when I’m sad” is a lyric that swirls around as the album comes to a close, showing that no matter the obstacle, there is still joy all around. As the album ends on the lyric “I’ve got places to run to, I’ve got places”, it's clear that Silver Deliverer aims to show listeners that deliverance is everywhere in this world. It’s just up to each of us to find it. The experience Silver Deliverer bestows upon its listener is rare, and it’s one that is shared through the experience of two sisters. Twenty years into their career, Aly & AJ have crafted their most insightful and authentic work to date that is an essential release within the twenty-first century.
- Logan Bandi
