Alt-J are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwil Sainsbury (guitar/bass).
members: Thom Green, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury, Joe Newman
formed in: Leeds
labels: Infectious Music, Atlantic Records
genres: art rock, indie rock, indie pop, folktronica
awards: James Joyce Awards, Mercury Prize
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Alt-J started with the name "Daljit Dhaliwal", after the BBC newsreader and television presenter, who the band grew up watching in the 90s. The band then renamed itself to "FILMS", but were later forced to change their name because an American band called "The Films" already existed.
Alt-J (∆) were formed when Gwilym (Gwil) Sainsbury (guitar/bass), Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Augustus (Gus) Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals) and Thomas Stuart (Thom Sonny) Green (drums) met at University of Leeds in 2007. Unger-Hamilton (younger brother of Ferdy, head of A&R for Polydor Records) studied English, the other three Fine Art. According to Newman, "I basically went to art school to start a band."
Underlined songs have their story further down.
Are you them, or do you know them? The mail slot is open.
"Every Other Freckle" is a song by English indie rock band Alt-J. It was released as the third single from the band's second studio album This Is All Yours on 14 August 2014.
Spin described it as "equal parts folk...Oompa Loompa anthem, and typical Alt-J sonic fuzziness..."
"Hunger of the Pine" is a song by English indie rock band Alt-J. It was released as the lead single from the band's second studio album This Is All Yours on 19 June 2014.
"Hunger of the Pine" was one of several songs written by Alt-J following bassist Gwil Sainsbury's departure from the band in January 2014. It samples the words "I'm a female rebel" from American recording artist Miley Cyrus's 2013 song "4x4". Thom Green, the band's drummer, had produced a remix of "4x4" for Cyrus, and incorporated the vocal sample into the song; according to lead singer Joe Newman, Cyrus was "cool" with the band using the sample and "has been really supportive of us, and she's a fan, I think, which is really nice." Keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton stated that the sample "sounded cool with what Joe was playing on the guitar."
On June 13, 2014, Alt-J posted a video on their Instagram account featuring a clip of "Hunger of the Pine". On June 18, the single premiered on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show and was made available for streaming. It was released to the iTunes Store the following day.
The music video for "Hunger of the Pine" was released on YouTube on 16 July 2014, three days prior to the single's release. The video, directed by Nabil Elderkin, graphically depicts a man (played by professional freerunner Ashley "Spider" Holland) getting shot by arrows as he runs through a forest. At the end of the video, the man drenches himself with what appears to be gasoline from a jerrycan while approaching flaming arrows fill the sky.
"Left Hand Free" is a song by English indie rock band Alt-J. It was released as the second single from the band's second studio album This Is All Yours on 7 July 2014.
With its Southern rock influences, "Left Hand Free" is atypical for an Alt-J song, with the band themselves describing it as "the least Alt-J song ever". The song, written by band members Joe Newman, Thom Green and Gus Unger-Hamilton "in about 20 minutes", was built around a riff that Newman would play during rehearsals and features an organ solo from Unger-Hamilton, while Green's performance on the song was deliberately performed "as clichéd as possible," with "none of [his] personality in it". Contrary to reports that the band wrote the song at the behest of their record company, Unger-Hamilton elaborated that the song was rather "the product of having fun one afternoon in the writers’ studio and enjoying [themselves]", which eventually...
"Left Hand Free" was released digitally as the second single from This Is All Yours on 7 July 2014. In the United States, it entered modern rock radio on 15 July 2014 and subsequently peaked at number two on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The song also debuted and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their first entry on the chart and their most successful single in the country to date. On 27 October 2014, a remix by Lido was released as a single.
The music video for "Left Hand Free" was directed by Ryan Staake and released on 7 August 2014. It depicts a group of American teenagers doing various activities of leisure, including drinking beer, setting off fireworks, driving, and swimming in the Guadalupe River. Reviewer Tim Brayton commented "Since we're never going to see a beer ad directed by David Gordon Green, this is the next best thing. The hook is unbelievably straightforward: 'in the summer, sexy young people like to have fun with their sexy young friends! Pick-up trucks and getting wet are often involved!'... Some of the shots are fun and relaxed; a surprising number feel worn out, like you will after you've gotten too much sun."
"Breezeblocks" is a song by British indie rock band Alt-J from their debut studio album An Awesome Wave (2012). The song was released on 18 May 2012 as the album's second single.
The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwil Sainsbury, and Thom Green, and produced by Charlie Andrew. It reached the top ten in the UK Indie and US Alternative charts, and was voted into third place in Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2012, behind "Thrift Shop" and "Little Talks".
According to Newman, writing began after he read the warning label on an aerosol can, which read: "may contain traces... of something that may be flammable", and inspired the lyric "she may contain the urge to run away", a part of the song's refrain. Newman stated in an interview that "[Breezeblocks] is about liking someone who you want so much that you want to hurt yourself and them, as well." Newman also stated that Breezeblocks, like the rest of An Awesome Wave, was partially inspired by the 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are.
A music video was created to accompany the release of the song. Directed by Ellis Bahl and starring actors Jonathan Dwyer, Jessica DiGiovanni, and Eleanore Pienta, it is the band's first official music video.
"Something Good" is a song by English indie rock quartet Alt-J from their debut studio album An Awesome Wave (2012). The song was released on 28 September 2012 as the album's fourth single.
The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury, Thom Green and produced by Charlie Andrew.
A music video to accompany the release of "Something Good" was first released on YouTube on 18 September 2012 at a total length of three minutes and forty-two seconds. The video was shot in Los Angeles, California, by Brewer, a directing duo by brothers Alex and Ben Brewer, and has earned them the 2013 Young Director Award for Non-European Music Video.
"Tessellate" is a song by English indie rock band Alt-J from their debut studio album, An Awesome Wave (2012). The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury and Thom Green and produced by Charlie Andrew.
It was originally released on 13 October 2011 as a double A-side single with “Bloodflood”, before being released separately on 13 July 2012 as the album's third single.
A music video to accompany the release of "Tessellate" was first released on YouTube on 9 July 2012. The video was directed by Alex Southam and is a reworking of the painting The School of Athens by Raphael, using 21st century characters in a room similar to the painting's background (Panthéon, in Paris). One of the characters at the very beginning of the clip is wearing a printed T-shirt of the painting.
In 2013, "Tessellate" was covered by English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding on the deluxe edition of Halcyon Days, the reissue of her second studio album, Halcyon. English indie folk band Mumford & Sons also covered the song on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 25 September 2012; their version was included on the compilation album BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge 2013.
"Deadcrush" is a song by British indie rock band Alt-J. It is the fifth track and fourth single from their third studio album, Relaxer, and was released as a digital single on 12 July 2017 by Infectious Music and Atlantic Records.
The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamiltion, and Thom Sonny Green and produced by Charlie Andrew. The song's title is based on a game the band played where they asked the question, "What historical figure would I want to take on a date if she were alive today?", and so the name "Deadcrush" is based on someone's "dead crush".
In an interview with NPR, the band said: As we were finishing writing our second album, This Is All Yours, we came up with a quick jam which we luckily captured on one of our phones. This turned into 'Deadcrush', which is a word we made up to describe someone who is no longer alive that you fancy. Thus the first verse is about Lee Miller, Joe's deadcrush, the second about Anne Boleyn, Gus's.
A music video for the song was released on 12 July 2017. It was directed by Young Replicant, who also directed the music video for "3WW". It features the band's "dead crushes": Sylvia Plath, Lee Miller, and Anne Boleyn teaming up in a post-apocalyptic world.
"In Cold Blood" is a song by British indie rock band Alt-J. It is the second track and second single from their third studio album, Relaxer, and was released as a digital single on 29 March 2017 by Infectious Music and Atlantic Records.
The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, and Thom Sonny Green and produced by Charlie Andrew. It features a brass section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London and a Casiotone the band purchased for £1.05 on eBay.
In an interview with NPR, the band said: This song was started when we were still students in Leeds, finally finished in the sessions for this album. Sometimes it happens that way. The title comes from the book of the same name by Truman Capote — however, this was mostly because it sounded good rather than due to the song being about mass murder. We recorded the brass section at Abbey Road Studios in North London, which was an amazing experience.
The music video for the song was released on 9 May 2017. It was directed by Casper Balslev, who had previously directed videos for Marina and the Diamonds and MØ. The video is narrated by Iggy Pop, frontman of The Stooges.
"In Cold Blood" received favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. Robin Murray of Clash called it "both straight-forwardly melodic and fascinatingly complex, the interweaving vocals underpinned by bleeping electronics and flashes of brass."
"Matilda" is a song by British rock band Alt-J from their debut studio album An Awesome Wave, released on 10 January 2012 as a digital download. It was released as a split single with "Fitzpleasure" on 24 February as a digital download and on 10" triangle-shaped vinyl.
It was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury and Thom Green and produced by Charlie Andrew. The song relates to the movie Léon (1994), specifically the relationship between the main character and a young girl called Mathilda.
"U&ME" is a song by British indie rock band Alt-J. It was released alongside the announcement of their fourth album The Dream on September 22, 2021, as the first single from the album, and the second on the album's tracklist.
"U&ME" was written by Alt-J frontman Joe Newman and is largely based on a real-life experience at the Sun Cycle Festival in Melbourne, which he attended with his partner. Newman stated that "two-thirds of the writing" for the song was directly inspired by the event, grounding the track in autobiographical detail.
The music video for "U&ME" was directed by Prosper Unger-Hamilton, the brother of band member Gus Unger-Hamilton, and released on 22 September 2021. It was produced by MrMr Films and marked one of the first occasions in which all members of Alt-J prominently appear together in a music video.
"U&ME" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who highlighted its nostalgic tone and understated production. Writing for ABC's triple j, Al Newstead described the track as a "stripped-back" and reflective lead single that captures a sense of pre-pandemic togetherness, with its festival-inspired narrative contributing to a warm, intimate atmosphere. Critics also noted the song’s blend of realism and surrealism, particularly in its closing section, as a continuation of Alt-J's distinctive songwriting style.
"Bloodflood" is the first single by English indie rock band Alt-J released in October 2011 through Loud and Quiet Recordings on 7" vinyl as a double A-side single with "Tessellate". The single was limited to 300 copies.
It was later put on their 2012 debut album An Awesome Wave. A second part called "Bloodflood Pt.
The first line in the song "C-O double M-O-N", in reference to Southampton Common (also mentioned in "Fitzpleasure"), a park in the city centre of Southampton where singer Joe Newman, who wrote the song grew up. "It's about the fear that can happen when you're approached by people that look like they're gonna hit you and it's based in this area, it's called Southampton Common [...]". The song also says the album title An Awesome Wave ("A wave / An awesome wave") which comes from the book American Psycho, with a line in the book saying that relief washes over the character like "an awesome wave".
"Fitzpleasure" is a song by British indie pop band Alt-J from their debut studio album An Awesome Wave (2012).
A music video for the song, composed of black and white clips, was directed by Emile Sornin and published to YouTube on November 5, 2012.