alt-J Announces New Album The Dream Share First Psychedelic New Single “U&ME”

Alt-J were the clear winners on Day Two of Coachella.

alt-J have announced their eagerly-awaited fourth album The Dream, set for release February 11, 2022, via Canvasback / Infectious Music. The English indie rock band was formed in 2007 in Leeds, by Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Gwilym Sainsbury and released their first album in May of 2012, so this latest album comes almost a decade to the month afterwards. Since their debut An Awesome Wave alt-J have been nominated for multiple Grammy’s, as well as the BRITs and won a Mercury Prize for this debut album.

Alongside the announcement of this new album, alt-J have also released a new song and accompanying music video. The song, titled “U&ME,” is a love story, told through snapshots and accompanied by a video inspired by band member’s Newman’s experiences at a festival in Melbourne. Highlighting an intense feeling of joy, long-time collaborator Charlie Andrew, who produced the track, manages to layer the experimental aspects of the song into a beautiful melody.

Watch and listen to “U&ME” here:

The music video was directed by band member Gus Unger-Hamilton’s brother, Prosper Unger-Hamilton, and is the first video to feature the full band.

Dream, according to the press release is “an album where true-crime-inspired stories and tales of Hollywood and the Chateau Marmont rub shoulders with some of the band’s more personal moments to date. Both beauty and darkness lay side-by-side – often seamlessly merging on the same track, a purposeful choice that pays dividends across the record. The band’s dazzling instrumentation has matured; there are still far-out moments, but now they are deployed with artful precision. The Dream is an album of intrigue, beauty, and humanity – a coalescence of everything that has made alt-J a global band with true staying power.”

Pre-order Dream here.

Dream Tracklist:
1. “Bane”
2. “U&ME”
3. “Hard Drive Gold”
4. “Happier When You’re Gone”
5. “The Actor”
6. “Get Better”
7. “Chicago”
8. “Philadelphia”
9. “Walk A Mile”
10. “Delta”
11. “Losing My Mind”
12. “Powders”

Photo Credit Owen Ela

Michelle Leidecker: Michelle Leidecker is a student writer based in New York City studying at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. Growing up, she was a classically trained cellist, but pivoted into more modern music spheres, playing in a band and taking up music marketing. Always having a passion for writing and for music, she enjoys writing and reading about music whether it be for school or publications such as mxdwn. She hopes to continue on her path of writing and marketing within the music industry and being surrounded by music in her daily life. When she's not writing, you can find her trying new restaurants, travelling, and on her multiple social media accounts.
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