Neu Alt-J: ‘We Don’t Want To Be Corseted By Our Aesthetic Choices’

There’s more to a band than their name. Several passers by might lambast Alt-J for their adoption of the delta (∆) sign – you press Alt + J on a Mac keyboard and just like magic, there’s the symbol – but in many ways, it was a smart move. ”There’s limitless amounts of fun you can have with it; it’s a prism to explore within,” says Gus, keyboardist and vocalist in the band. Indeed, when you’re able to produce triangular shaped vinyl for your debut EP release, you know you’re on to something.

Is there a danger though, that Alt-J might forever become associated with this three-sided visual? “We don’t want to be corseted by our aesthetic choices – I think that would be terrible. But certainly, it looks like it could be a nice current running through our body of work.” Already, the symbol has become synonymous with the band, similarly versatile to the songs themselves, their ability to adapt and turn on a whim.

Speaking to Gus, you gain an insight into a band with a long-term vision. Contrary to the mad rush that’s received debut single ‘Matilda’, they’re a group who have been plugging away for quite some time now. Experiencing several name changes and in Gus’ own words, “setbacks,” the last twelve months are the reward of three-and-a-half-years’ worth of hard work.

The hardest challenge came when the band were still based in Leeds – they’ve recently relocated to London. Having made ripples in the water, gaining fans for their work as Films, they were prompted to change their name because it was shared with so many other bands. “That was a struggle,” recalls Gus. “At the time it seemed like we were going to be destroying a lot of hard work, in really silly ways; worrying about how we’d be losing all our MySpace plays!”

Today, such a dilemma seems almost comical when you regard Alt-J’s recent surge in popularity. Gus describes regular coverage on Radio1 as “staggering,” that all this recognition “almost hasn’t sunk in, really.” But here lies a band that will inevitably be judged not on their name, not on their hype, but on the success of their debut album. In conversation, you hear relief and immense excitement; a great deal of pride towards the finished piece. The record is described to us as “challenging and coherent” and “nicely-crafted.” Quite wisely, despite the success of songs like ‘Fitzpleasure’ and ‘Breezeblocks’, there’s an acknowledgement that a great deal of those who buy the album will be newcomers to the band: “You have to view it as objectively as you can… We don’t want it to be referred to as ‘Matilda: The Extended Edition’!”

From what we’re told, an extraordinary amount of work has gone into every single song. Again, with Alt-J, what at first meets the eye is never entirely telling. For instance, we’re told that ‘Fitzpleasure’’s opening chant of “Tra-la-la-la” is actually based on a character in a Hubert Selby Jr. book named Tralala. Think about that: a monosyllabic chant, one that might be equated to a simple vocal texture, actually carries genuine meaning. Another album track tells the tale of the relationship between war photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Toro; the latter of which became the first female war photographer to die in battle.

Intricacies emerge that you would never imagine out of each song. Such in-depth levels of songwriting, such a scale of ambition, only go to confirm that Alt-J are not a band who can be dismissed over an aesthetic choice.

Alt-J’s debut album ‘An Awesome Wave’ will be released on 28th May via Infectious Music.

Taken from the April 2012 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.