Indie rock band Alt-J set to return to Colorado for the first time in nearly 5 years – and a lot has changed | Steven Bonifazi

By Steven Bonifazi/NewsBreak Denver

(DENVER, Colorado) It’s no wonder Grammy-nominated British indie rock band Alt-J are making headlines again after nearly a decade of releasing albums that differ in sound and style: their confidence in songwriting is finally concrete.

For keyboardists and vocalist Gus Unger-Hamilton, the band’s early days involved breaking the rules.

We used to joke that we were a bit like cowboy builders in terms of songwriters, people who come in and don’t know what they’re doing and shoot first and pose questions later. We knew the results weren’t disastrous and we felt like we didn’t have much classical training in terms of songwriting,” Unger-Hamilton told NewsBreak.

Today, he and his bandmates Joe Newman (guitar, vocals) and Thom Sonny Green (drums) like to follow the rules and are quicker to “hone” when it comes to forming a song as than collective.

“Now we’ve actually gotten a better understanding of how to write songs the traditional way. We feel pretty good about our jobs now.”

Atl-J’s first and last time to perform in Denver was at Red Rocks on August 7, 2017 for their US summer tour which coincided with the release of their third studio album. Relaxing. The show featured guests Tove Lo and SOHN.

Now, nearly five years later, the group is due to return to Mile High City on March 23 at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield to perform songs from their latest and fourth album, The dream.

Released on February 11 this year, The dream has already attracted national attention, with Rolling Stone UK gave it four stars, calling it a “masterpiece”. Their lead single from the album, “U&ME” was released on September 22, 2021, when they announced The dreamabout three years after their previous release, Reducerwhich was a rap-infused reissue of relaxer.

Recorded in their studio in North East London, The dream tackles topics ranging from getting rich through crypto on the track “Hard Drive Gold” to celebrating time spent with a former lover and mourning his death on “Get Better.”

The album also has some geographic continuity as it features strings and a church organ from a local church hired by Alt-J.

Unger-Hamilton feels the band has always had a similar approach to making music, using jam sessions and instincts when forming a song. Through the combination of their backgrounds and their musical tastes, they open the way to infinite possibilities, without ever agreeing to be a particular group.

At The dreamthe three rockers incorporated genres such as barbershop, house, opera, German-sounding post-punk, and a kind of 1990s skate rock that they were never afraid to do.

“On this album, its natural evolution,” Unger-Hamilton explained.

“Maybe on the third album, we went the orchestra route. This one backed off a bit and went a bit more of the three of us playing non-layered to the nth degree, which is kind of nice.”

He says the band was very influenced by bands like the Beatles and how they managed to do a lot by recording live. Gus recalls after watching the 2021 documentary The Beatles: Come Backhe started playing bass guitar and eventually recorded his new instrument on four tracks on The dream.

To promote their latest album, the band traveled to New York on February 22 to perform “U&ME” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Additionally, they performed their debut hit, Breezeblocks, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut album “An Awesome Wave.”

After completing the tour of relaxer By the end of 2018, the band was exhausted and decided not to do anything Alt-J related in 2019, reverting to spending more time with family and friends.

About a year and four months later when the initial COVID lockdown happened in the UK, Alt-J took the lockdowns as instructed and did not work, returning home. For Unger-Hamilton, life kind of went back to 2019. He says it was healthy enough to have such a big break and he and the rest of the band luckily didn’t go crazy or that kind of studio madness that can often happen. when working for months at a stretch, being stuck in a “windowless environment with the same groups of people”, kind of like a pressure cooker.

On February 25, the band began their North American tour with Portugal. The Man, Sir Chloe and Cherry Glazerr. The tour kicked off in Pittsburgh and will end in Toronto on April 17, with stops in major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Denver.

Alt-J’s North American tour with Portugal. The Man, Sir Chloe and Cherry Glazerr.(Alt j)

The band are due to perform at a handful of music festivals this summer around the world, including Mad Cool in Spain and Rock Werchter in Belgiumand Unger-Hamilton said he didn’t know who was more excited: the fans or the band.

“It’s surreal that we’re performing in arenas full of people. We’ve had a tough few years not being able to do our job, and so have the fans,” he said. “There will hopefully be a mutual orgasm and climax between the bands and the fans when the concert begins. It will be amazing for us when the lights go down and the noise starts.”

For more information on Alt-J and their tour or to listen to their fourth studio album, The Dream, click here.