∆ The delta: a symbolic representation of change. Not only the shortcut to achieve the symbol on a Mac, alt-J embodies the definition. Alt-J represents change.

I fell in love with them hard and fast. It started out as a simply obsessing over "Fitspleasure," which then turned into constantly listening to their album, An Awesome Wave, on Spotify. Soon I found myself sitting in my cousins quaint apartment living room, white walls lined with a solid collection of vinyl, watching a live performance of the group projected on her wall and was unable to avert my eyes. I was reveling in the fact that I've needed something new, a shift in the musical current of my life, and at the most unexpected moment I gained a newfound intrigue.

"It was music I was looking for, I just didn't know I was. I just loved it," said band's drummer, Thom Green, when introduced to the group and soon after quickly joined. Green and I have a consensus about the alternative and psychedelic sounds of alt-J.



Now based out of a terrace house in Cambridge, the four members (Gwil Sainsbury - guitarist/bassist, Joe Newman - guitarist/vocals, Gus Unger-Hamilton - keyboards, Thom Green - drums) originally met at University of Leeds in 2007. The group came to fruition after inspiration from hallucinogens and dorm room recordings through GarageBand. After playing locally for two years, they eventually released a four track demo '∆' in October 2011. Their 2012 album, An Awesome Wave, won a Barclaycard Mercury Prize, an annual prize awarded to the best album released from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Alt-J truly is the newest oncoming wave in the world of music. The vocals are eccentric and the instrumentals are inconceivably gorgeous and even more so after seeing them visually. You can only assume my excitement when I discovered they recently released that they'll be coming to Toronto this spring.


Below is the mind-blowing, full concert alt-J performed under Seattle radio station, KEXP.   


Also check out this recently released dark Betatraxx remix of "Fitzpleasure."




And if you want to tessellate, check this video and seek the subliminal.