Alt-J – “Get Better”

Rosie Matheson

Alt-J – “Get Better”

Rosie Matheson

In September, Leeds art-rockers Alt-J announced a new LP, The Dream, coming in February. So far they’ve shared the single “U&ME,” and now they’ve unveiled a follow-up: “Get Better.”

Along with the track, which is minimal and delicate, Alt-J have shared a pixel-art animated lyric video for “Get Better,” which was designed by Hamburg pixel artist Stefanie Grunwald. It’s definitely worth a watch.

Delving further into “Get Better,” singer Joe Newman says:

“Get Better” is the union of two songs. The first was an improvised song I sang in 2018 to my partner. To her I sang, “Get better my Darcy, I know you can.” She filmed it and I kept revisiting the fragment with a plan to write more. The second was a chord structure I worked on in lockdown that focused on someone living through a bereavement. I felt a nervous heat when writing “Get Better.” The context of the Coronavirus pandemic lent my words a chilling weight and gave me a new sense of responsibility as a lyricist. Whilst the direct events described are fictional, I believe — or I hope — that it’s emotionally the most honest song I’ve written.

Listen to “Get Better” below.

The Dream is out 2/11 on Canvasback/Infectious.

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