The Witzard

SOURCE: Big Hassle Media (CREDIT: Rosie Matheson) Beloved English Ingie Rock band alt-J have announced their eagerly-awaited fourth album, The Dream , set for release early next year. The band's extremely catchy revelatory new single, "U&ME," is out now with a companion music video. "U&ME" was produced by long-time collaborator, Charlie Andrew, and is the band's first new music since their acclaimed third album, RELAXER, released in 2017, and its accompanying 2018 Hip-Hop remix album, REDUXER. Directed by band member Gus Unger-Hamilton's brother, Prosper Unger-Hamilton, "U&ME"'s video is the first ever to feature the full band. It's an evocative video that recalls summer memories and was inspired by frontman Joe Newman's experiences at a festival in Melbourne, Australia. The Dream is an album wherein True Crime-inspired stories and tales of Hollywood & The Chateau Marmont rub shoulders with some of the band's m...

Early on in their career, Leeds -based band alt-J were quickly heralded as "The Next Radiohead" due to their extremely well-orchestrated, thought-provoking brand of Indie/Art Rock heard across their 2012 full-length debut, An Awesome Wave . Then, Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green & Gus Unger-Hamilton did a total 180° and more or less, alienated nearly half of their new-found fans—à la: Beastie Boys' 1987 single "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)" debacle—by releasing tongue-in-cheek über- "American" single, "Left Hand Free" from 2014's This Is All Yours ... but, unsurprisingly, "the least alt-J song ever" pretty much back-fired because no one got it, including the label, and the song rapidly became, quite arguably, one of their biggest smash-hits to date. Last summer, alt-J suddenly returned this their third album (technically, an EP) RELAXER , which in the months since, has become my personal favorite release...

Late Thursday night into early Friday morning, while everyone else was listening to the livestream of Nas' Kanye -produced NASIR EP from G.O.O.D. Music 's Queens Listening Session/Party , I was listening to alt-J on Repeat, instead. Right around 12:10am, I got an email from Atlantic Records titled "New Version of "In Cold Blood" Released Today;" when I opened up said alt-J Fan Club email, I learned it was actually, a Twin Shadow re-work of RELAXER single "In Cold Blood" with a guest verse from G.O.O.D. Music Prez. Pusha-T himself. It wasn't until a little later, I realized alt-J had actually, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Thursday night with Twin Shadow frontman George Lewis, Jr. and Pusha-T in tow to perform the world premiere of "In Cold Blood" (Twin Shadow Version.) Now, let me just say this: I'm a fan of all three artists' bodies of work, especially, alt-J 's RELAXER , Pusha-T's My ...

"We love working with great directors, giving them the creative freedom to interpret our tracks as they wish. It leads to great collaborations, like this new video for "In Cold Blood" from Casper Balslev . As you are about to find out, a day in the life of a wood mouse can be unexpectedly dangerous... We hope you enjoy it," signed simply Gus, Joe & Thom . I'm of course, talking about Gus Unger-Hamilton , Joe Newman , and Thom Sonny Green of English Indie Rock buzz band alt-J , who were once a bit prematurely dubbed "the next Radiohead ," as the Indie Rock music-covering machine seems to do every 10 years or so. Since forming while attending Leeds University with since-departed fourth member Gwil Sainsbury , alt-J have released three EP's, two critically-acclaimed studio albums, and one live album recorded at Red Rocks ; on the heels of their wildly successful sophomore album, This Is All Yours (2014) alt-J are currently gearing up t...

"And I say, "Gee [whiz]," which I'm not sure is a phrase I've ever uttered before. I can imagine it appealing to American truckers with Good Riddance to Bin Laden stickers," alt-J frontman Joe Newman recently told British publication The Guardian in a rather scathing band interview; Newman is of course referring to alt-J 's latest single, "Left Hand Free," which the band said was only written to appease their American label because they didn't exactly feel teaser single, "Hunger of The Pine" was a "big single." alt-J 's critically-acclaimed first album, An Awesome Wave (2012) was essentially heralded as the second coming of Radiohead , while "Left Hand Free" is more so along the lines of Black Keys or Jack White -ian Modern Blues-Rock . "I tried to make the drums as cliched as possible, there's none of my personality in it... I'm doing some kind of organ solo. I don't know wher...