alt-J’s "The Dream" Triangulates Newfound Trio’s Fresh Beginning
By Adri Pray
Indie-rock band alt-J released their latest album, The Dream, Feb. 11, a much anticipated release following Reduxer (2018).
The Dream is somewhat of a reinvention for the band, as the album follows the departure of guitarist and bassist, Gwil Sainsbury. The most streamed single on the album is the second track, “U&ME,” a slow and dream-like sound that accompanies a young couple on their journey through adulthood.
“U&ME” follows “Bane,” off the album, which shares a similar sound but contrasting messages. The consistent message throughout is the notion of one “selling their soul” to go back to a certain time in their life when things were easier and the aforementioned relationship was still in good standing.
Later in the album are the sister songs “The Actor,” and “Get Better.” “The Actor” describes the “chase” at the beginning of the relationship while maintaining a similar sonical structure to “U&ME,” but extends the metaphor about a partnership being as addictive as cocaine, which is why the singer keeps coming back. “Why do I keep on returning to you / Cocaine / Cocaine,” make up the chorus to emphasize how much of a hold this person has.
“Get Better” chooses to take a darker path; it follows the death of a partner within this relationship with a stripped and raw ballad. Though it gives the impression of a love song, the lyrics spin a different narrative. “Happy birthday / Staff smuggled in a card I made / It rests under your pillow / When out of the ICU / You’ll cringe at all of the ‘I love you’s,” sings alt-J.
A strong sonical repetition throughout the album builds up to the final few lines. Each song has its own build up, but the culmination in “Get Better” is arguably the best. “I still pretend you’re only out of sight in the other room / Smiling at your phone,” is repeated several times through the bridge in order to grab the listener’s attention for the final lines. “Get better,” is the lyric spoken by, presumably, the dying partner, and finalizes the song as if it’s her last breath.
One of the more notable songs in the album is “Delta”, although the song is only a minute long and acts as more of an interlude. The band’s name, alt-J is a reference the “Alt” and “J” keys on a keyboard that creates the “delta” symbol, ∆. Repeating the lines, “Force fields in the Delta / I’m not a praying man / But I’ll kneel to that,” three times symbolizes one point of the triangle.
There is no music in this song, it’s all a cappella, which allows for a more raw and stripped sound allowing the listener to get the full gravity of the emotion within the minute they’re subjected to it. Repeating the three lines over and over makes the song sound like more of a chant, as the first time they’re sung, only one singer is able to be heard, but as the song goes on, one singer is added in singing the song.
The idea of three is prevalent throughout the album, as it represents the fresh beginning and new direction that alt-J takes with it’s freshly formed trio: the manifestation of a triangle. The Dream is a dream within itself, as each song propels a dream-like state present throughout the album.