Alt-J

English rock group Alt-J, whose name stems from the delta symbol produced by striking Alt and J together on a Mac keyboard, produce unconventional indie rock distinguished by inventive handling of rhythm, arrangement, percussion, and spatial dynamics. After their Mercury Prize-winning and critically lauded debut album An Awesome Wave appeared in 2012, the band broadened its range across the 2014 release This Is All Yours and the 2017 album Relaxer. Following the 2018 remix collection Reduxer, Alt-J resumed issuing original material with the introspective 2022 album The Dream.

The quartet first assembled in 2008 at Leeds University under the name FILMS and devoted the next two years to rehearsal before signing with Infectious Records in 2011. Their characteristic fusion of textured, folk-tinged dub pop and expansive alternative rock surfaced initially through the 2012 singles “Matilda” and “Fitzpleasure,” culminating in the full-length An Awesome Wave later that year. The record ultimately secured the Mercury Prize and three Brit Award nominations, establishing the group as regular performers on the U.K. and European festival circuit while extending their reach through tours across the U.S. and Australia.

Mounting acclaim and an intensive touring regimen prompted bassist Gwil Sainsbury’s amicable exit at the close of 2013. The remaining members—singer/guitarist Joe Newman, keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton, and drummer Thom Green—proceeded without interruption, delivering their second album This Is All Yours in autumn 2014. The well-reviewed set entered the U.K. chart at number one and performed strongly across Europe and the U.S., where it earned the band their first Grammy nomination.

Alt-J unveiled three singles—“3WW,” “In Cold Blood,” and “Adeline”—in early 2017 ahead of Relaxer’s June arrival. Though it did not match the commercial heights of its predecessor, the album achieved solid sales and brought a second Mercury Prize nomination. The following year saw the release of Reduxer, a collection of Relaxer tracks reworked alongside hip-hop artists Danny Brown, Little Simz, and Pusha T.

The band returned with the single “U&ME” in 2021 to herald their fourth album The Dream, issued in February 2022. On this record Alt-J explored new emotional terrain, conveying warmth and humanity through songs such as the gentle acoustic ballad “Get Better.” ~ Timothy Monger