Things Will Get Better: An alt-J Podcast alt-J

Gus, Joe and Thom chat with their longtime producer, Charlie Andrew, about how he first discovered alt-J and what immediately impressed him about their approach to their songs. He also shares some of his own history, as a producer, and how he applied his techniques on alt-J’s very first recordings. Together, they remember some breakthrough moments during the making of An Awesome Wave, and shed light on why their collaboration has now spanned all four of their full-length albums. 

Gus, Joe and Thom discuss the origins of alt-J with founding member Gwil Sainsbury, who left the band in 2014 but remains their close friend. They reminisce about the days at Ash Grove, when Gwil’s skills with GarageBand and his openness as a sounding board for Joe’s songs made him a perfect first addition to the band Joe had gone to university planning to start. Sainsbury also assisted majorly with Things Will Get Better by scouring his old hard drives to find the demos in Episode 2: The Demos.

Music journalist and radio host Jenny Eliscu interviews Gus, Joe and Thom about the formation of alt-J, their individual histories with music and the rigorous arts training they each pursued. They also delve into how they found their chemistry together, early on, the making of their first songs, how they figured out which tunes were right for An Awesome Wave, how their live show has evolved, and more.

alt-J listen back together, for the first time, to a series of unearthed demo sessions from the years leading up to An Awesome Wave, including early fan favorites “Portrait” and “Hiroshima,” a demo version of “Something Good,” and a previously unheard song called “Things Will Get Better." It's a tune they had completely lost track of and were thrilled to rediscover -- and it is where this podcast gets its name. All four demos are included, in full, at the end of the episode, and are exclusively available in the Things Will Get Better podcast.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their groundbreaking, Mercury Prize-winning debut album, An Awesome Wave, alt-J explore their early history together, over the course of the upcoming five episodes. In Episode 1, they return to their old university house in Leeds, known as Ash Grove after the street it's on. There, they revisit major moments from those days, from meeting on campus in 2007 while studying in various arts and literature classes together, to playing their first-ever show in the living room of Ash Grove, to writing and demoing songs like “Matilda” and “Breezeblocks” in the attic room upstairs, and more. They also give a walking tour of beloved local sites, including the legendary Brudenell Social Club and other regular haunts – a greasy spoon diner called Popina’s, the Eldon, where Joe first took mushrooms, and the Library Bar, where they played frequently in those early days, in the lead-up to recording An Awesome Wave.

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In addition to celebrating An Awesome Wave with this podcast, alt-J have joined forces with premium social live media platform Moment for a worldwide digital performance, set for Wednesday, October 19 (North America/Europe/United Kingdom/Africa) and Thursday, October 20 (Australia/NZ & Asia). Recorded May 17, 2022 at Brixton, London’s world famous O2 Academy, the concert sees alt-J performing An Awesome Wave in its entirety, joined on stage by Gwil Sainsbury for the band’s first single, “Bloodflood,” as well as the album-closing epic, “Taro.” In addition, the ticketed event features an additional set showcasing greatest hits and fan favorites from alt-J’s subsequent body of work, spanning 2014’s This Is All Yours, 2017’s Relaxer, and 2022’s internationally acclaimed new album, The Dream. 



Tickets to the digital concert event – along with a limited edition line of official 10th anniversary An Awesome Wave merchandise – are available now HERE, exclusively via Moment. Ticket buyers will automatically get access to video-on-demand (VOD) upon purchase, allowing them to view the event for up until 24 hours after the end of the official streaming premiere. Fans who miss the premiere can still buy VOD up until three hours before the 24-hour VOD window closes, ensuring ample time to watch (or re-watch) the event. 

alt-J celebrate the tenth anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album, An Awesome Wave, with a five-part podcast that delves into the band’s early days as university students, how they came together and found their sound, insights into the making of the album, newly unearthed demo recordings, and more. All five episodes come out together on September 29th. Says the band: "We were asked so often how we felt about the ten year anniversary of An Awesome Wave, and how we planned to celebrate it, that we realised we didn’t exactly know. So we made a podcast to find out. ‘Things Will Get Better’ is a journey from the formation of the band to the release of our debut album, and features us exploring our old haunts in Leeds, listening to long-lost demos and chatting to Gwil Sainsbury and our producer Charlie Andrew. We loved reminiscing about those days, sharing our individual memories and taking some time to reflect with gratitude on the album that changed our lives more than any other."