Alex G

Alex Giannascoli, widely recognized under the name Alex G, works as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer whose lo-fi pop merges melodic strengths and close-miked vocals with an unrehearsed performance approach. He frequently explores tape experiments and bursts of noise as well. Following a series of roughly a dozen self-released or small-label albums and EPs, his first Domino Records outing, Beach Music from 2015, entered Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and secured guitar contributions on releases by Frank Ocean. Even after shifting toward outside collaborators, broader arrangements, and professional studios, he preserved his jagged, unpredictable aesthetic, evident on the 2019 album House of Sugar. For his fourth Domino project, the fragmented 2022 release God Save the Animals, he enlisted six separate engineers across distinct facilities, directing each to deliver peak-fidelity results, which produced what many consider his most demanding record to date. He also supplied the original score for the 2024 psychological drama I Saw the TV Glow.

Born in Pennsylvania, Alexander Giannascoli began composing and tracking songs in his bedroom during adolescence, drawing from the styles of Elliott Smith and Built to Spill. His debut full-length, Race, surfaced in 2010 on the cassette imprint Gold Soundz. One year later he issued the self-released Winner. While attending Temple University in 2012, he attracted the notice of Elvis Depressedly’s Mat Cothran, who circulated Giannascoli’s home demos and booked his inaugural live performance. That same year saw two additional albums: Rules on Birdtapes and Trick on Haze Tapes. By 2013, now performing simply as Alex G, he joined the roster of Orchid Tapes, an indie label shared with artists such as Cothran and Sam Ray of Teen Suicide. The home-recorded DSU appeared on Orchid in 2014 to positive notice, prompting Giannascoli to leave school and focus on music full time.

Lucky Number in the U.K. subsequently mastered and issued Trick and Rules in early 2015, after which Giannascoli moved to Domino for the DSU successor Beach Music, released that October. The album reached number nine on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart, broadening his reach and reputation; his guitar playing later surfaced on Frank Ocean’s 2016 projects Endless and Blonde. In April of the following year he adopted the billing (Sandy) Alex G without public comment for his second Domino album, Rocket, issued in May 2017. Though still largely home-recorded, the set incorporated contributions from touring-band members, violinist Molly Germer, and returning vocalist Emily Yacina, ultimately peaking at number 23 on the independent albums chart. Later in 2017 he joined Ocean onstage and supported Fleet Foxes while continuing his own headline dates. The concert recording Live at Third Man Records arrived in mid-2018.

House of Sugar marked Alex G’s first project recorded outside the home, engineered by Beach Music and Rocket mixer Jacob Portrait at his Greenpoint, Brooklyn facility. Issued on Domino in September 2019 under the (Sandy) Alex G name, it climbed into the Top 30 of Billboard’s alternative and independent albums charts and the Top Five of the Heatseekers tally. The horror film he scored, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2021. Around the same period he removed the “(Sandy)” prefix and forwarded the rough mixes for his ninth studio album to six engineers, Portrait among them, working at studios throughout the Northeast. The resulting off-kilter and dynamic God Save the Animals, released in September 2022, reflected those demands for optimum recorded quality and also included performances by Germer, Jessica Lea Mayfield, and guitarist/banjoist Samuel Acchione. Domino issued the limited-edition, vinyl-only Live from Union Transfer in June 2023, documenting a November 2022 Philadelphia concert with his band. He subsequently toured internationally, including U.S. Northeast and Midwest dates supporting Alvvays before year’s end. His score for Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow appeared on A24 Music in 2024.