alt-J
ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM THE DREAM OUT FEBRUARY 11 2022
RELEASE NEW TRACK AND VIDEO “U&ME”
alt-J have announced their eagerly-awaited fourth album The Dream, set for release February 11, 2022, via Canvasback / Infectious Music. The band’s revelatory new single “U&ME” is out now and accompanied by a music video.
“U&ME” is produced by long-time collaborator Charlie Andrew and is the band’s first new music since their acclaimed third album RELAXER, released in 2017. Directed by band member Gus Unger-Hamilton’s brother, Prosper Unger-Hamilton, the video for “U&ME” is the first to feature the full band. It’s an evocative video that recalls summer memories and was inspired by Newman’s experiences at a festival in Melbourne.
alt-J return to form with their flawless new single. Building, sculpting, and maintaining this immersive vibe within their outlook which showcases their experimental traits and distinct combination of vocal harmonies. As the exploration engulfs the audience, the music embraces more angular attributes, fierce lashes of this forceful tone amongst the vibrant layers of percussive elements. Within the lyrics and the complex harmonies that relay the words, a real appreciation to intimacy and life shines amongst the verse, alt-J capture life within their vision.
This outfit has been sorely missed, with the new single alt-J prove the wait was worth it.
THE DREAM 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 an artful precision.
The album will be available on CD and 180g vinyl as well as various limited colour vinyl formats. There will also be a limited-edition hardback book CD that reproduces the notebook Joe Newman used to write THE DREAM featuring his original handwritten lyrics and drawings. The official artist store also includes merchandise bundles with signed print and exclusive cassette and vinyl formats.
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. The album was created after a period of rest for the band following their seismic world tour in support of previous record RELAXER. It is a record with the sound of a band growing as songwriters and storytellers.
U&ME is a case in point; it is arguably the band’s most beautiful and honest song to date, unfurling gracefully with new elements being subtly folded into the mix until a euphoric breakdown cracks through the middle. Lead vocalist Newman moves between blissful euphoria and artful restraint, telling a love story through snapshot memories, as the song channels the band’s unparalleled experimentation into a song that is underpinned with a raw sense of joy.
The track was written during various soundchecks across the globe, and when the band got back to London and heard the recordings, they knew it was one of their most dynamic songs to date. Speaking on the process, Joe Newman says, “It gathered momentum on its own, it was best to just get out of its way; we were just there”.
Elaborating on the meaning of U&ME, Gus Unger-Hamilton adds, “It’s about being at a festival with your best friends, having a good time, togetherness, and the feeling in life that nothing could be any better than it is right now”.
Alongside this the band have announced the first leg of their world tour with their most extensive run of North American dates, which will see them play at arenas across the United States and Canada in 2022.
alt-J 2022 North American Tour With Portugal. The Man
with special guest Sir Chloe 2/25-3/20
with special guest Cherry Glazerr 3/23-4/17
February 25, 2022 – Pittsburgh PA – Petersen Events Center
February 26, 2022 – Washington DC – The Anthem
March 1, 2022 – Nashville TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
March 2, 2022 – Atlanta GA – State Farm Arena
March 4, 2022 – Tampa FL – Yuengling Center
March 5, 2022 – Hollywood FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood
March 6, 2022 – Orlando FL – Orlando Amphitheater
March 9, 2022 – Dallas TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum
March 12, 2022 – Austin TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
March 13, 2022 – Houston TX – White Oak Music Hall
March 15, 2022 – St Louis MO – Chaifetz Arena
March 16, 2022 – Detroit MI – Masonic Temple Detroit
March 19, 2022 – Chicago IL – Credit Union 1 Arena
March 20, 2022 – Minneapolis MN – The Armory
March 23, 2022 – Denver CO – 1STBANK Center
March 25, 2022 – San Diego CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego
March 26, 2022 – Santa Barbara CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
March 27, 2022 – Los Angeles CA – STAPLES Center
March 29, 2022 – Seattle WA – WAMU Theatre
March 30, 2022 – Vancouver BC – Pacific Coliseum
April 1, 2022 – San Francisco CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
April 3, 2022 – Las Vegas NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
April 5, 2022 – Salt Lake City UT – UCCU Center
April 7, 2022 – Kansas City MO – Cable Dahmer Arena
April 8, 2022 – Cincinnati OH – PromoWest Pavillion at Ovation
April 9, 2022 – Columbus OH – Schottenstein Center
April 11, 2022 – New York NY – Madison Square Garden
April 13, 2022 – Philadelphia PA – TD Pavilion at the Mann
April 14, 2022 – Boston MA – Agganis Arena
April 15, 2022 – Montreal QC – Place Bell
April 17, 2022 – Toronto ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum
No Comments