Leeds alumni Alt-J change up their eclectic sound on new album ‘The Dream’

From Crypto to COVID, our own University of Leeds alumni Alt-j released their latest album ‘The Dream’ last week with yet another changeup to their eclectic sound.

With a divergence from the more uncouth and messy sound of 2017’s ‘Relaxer’, The opening track ‘Bane’ sets a great tone for the themes of vice and memory found within the album with its dark, ominous instrumentation alongside Newman’s thundering choral vocals describing a boy’s strange fixation for drinking cola. Also including a lovely flute sample towards the end of the song from their track ‘3WW’ found on their third album. Following this comes the pre-released single ‘U&ME’ which features the familiar bluesy verses found on their older works which could be argued to sound monotonous after a while however this is contrasted with a catchy chorus that would make it very difficult to forget the name of the song but avoids the same monotony one might expect. Following on with the moody tone of the album created by ‘Bane’, ‘U&ME’ continues this rhetoric whilst juxtaposing its sound with Newman’s lyrics about a fun summer holiday which works well for the overall theme of the album.

Other standout tracks include the aptly named ‘Hard Drive Gold’ detailing how a teenager is able to become a crypto millionaire in the 21st century we live in. Including adlibs from both Joe and Gus’ mums. The rise of the chorus and use of the school choir blends very well with the melodic drive found in the verses. The tracks ‘Happier When You’re Gone’ and ‘Get Better’ return to the morbid focus on death and loss with the former offering a serious, intimate look at struggle in the times of a pandemic with lyrics such as ‘I still pretend you’re only out of sight in another room’ and ‘staff smuggled in the card I meant’ gives listeners a vulnerable insight into how the pandemic affected many of us with an acoustic sound.

The second half of the album offers more interesting moments including the quirky Barbershop quarter intro on the song ‘Walk a Mile’ leading into a drawn-out bluesy record along with the dreary guitar in the latter half of ‘Losing My Mind which take the song to an abrupt but ominous ending.

Finally, the album ends with a more uplifting note in the song ‘Powders’ which offers a dreamy, laid back take on teenage romance within Newman’s vocals and a mid song talking script recorded by Thom and his partner. Overall, The Dream’’s strengths lie packing not just alt-J’s typical futuristic, eclectic edge , but a darker side remeniscing of nostalgia too which as a combo comes across fantasically and avoids the pomp and pretentiousness found in other artists work nowadays.

You can catch alt-J on the May tour of the UK and Ireland, they visit the O2 Academy in Leeds on the 9th May.