Alt - J

Alt - J

Alt-J, sometimes styled as ∆, is an English alternative band formed at the University of Leeds in Leeds in 2007. The group begins with Gwil Sainsbury on guitar and bass, Joe Newman on guitar and vocals, Gus Unger-Hamilton on keyboards, and Thom Sonny Green on drums. The band later lives in Cambridge. Unger-Hamilton studies English Literature, while the other three study Fine Art.

Formation and early recordings

During their second year of study, Newman shares songs he has written, inspired by his guitar-playing father and hallucinogens, with Sainsbury. The pair begin recording in dorm rooms, with Sainsbury acting as producer using GarageBand. The group first performs under the names Daljit Dhaliwal and then Films before playing around Leeds for two years.

Their first four-track demo, also titled ∆, is recorded with producer Charlie Andrew in London. It includes early versions of “Breezeblocks”, “Hand-Made”, “Matilda” and “Tessellate”.

Releases and recognition

Alt-J’s first release for Infectious is the triangle-shaped 7-inch single “Matilda” / “Fitzpleasure” in 2012, followed by “Breezeblocks” as an advance release from their debut album, An Awesome Wave. The album appears in 2012 and wins the Barclaycard Mercury Prize that same year.

In January 2014, Sainsbury leaves the band. Later that year, “Hunger of the Pine” appears in June, followed by the album This Is All Yours in September.

Relaxer and REDUXER

In 2017, the band releases “3WW”, featuring Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, as a digital single and announces dates for the Relaxer Tour. “In Cold Blood” follows as the second single from Relaxer, then “Adeline” as the third single. The album appears shortly afterwards in June 2017.

An alternative version of Relaxer, titled REDUXER, is released in 2018 and is described as a rap-heavy reworking of the previous album.