Alt-J (sometimes stylised ∆) was formed when Gwil Sainsbury (guitar, bass),… Read Full Bio ↴Alt-J (sometimes stylised ∆) was formed when Gwil Sainsbury (guitar, bass), Joe Newman (guitar, vocals), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards), and Thom Sonny Green (drums) met at the University of Leeds, Leeds, UK in 2007. The band currently resides in Cambridge.

Unger-Hamilton studied English Literature; the other three Fine Art. In their second year of studies, Newman showed Sainsbury a handful of his own songs inspired by his guitar-playing dad and hallucinogens, and the pair began recording in their dorm rooms with Sainsbury acting as producer on Garageband.

First as Daljit Dhaliwal and then as Films, they spent the next two years playing around town. Their eponymous first 4-track demo ∆, was recorded with producer Charlie Andrew in London and included early versions of "Breezeblocks", "Hand-Made", "Matilda" and "Tessellate".

Their first 2012 release for Infectious was the triangle shaped 7" "Matilda" / "Fitzpleasure", followed by "Breezeblocks" as an advance of their first album An Awesome Wave, released on 25 May 2012. That same year, they won the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize for An Awesome Wave.

On January 2014, Sainsbury announced that he had left the band. "Hunger of the Pine" was released in June, with an accompanying video. Their second record, This is All Yours was released in September 2014.

On 6 March 2017 alt-J released "3WW", which features lead singer Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, as a digital single and announced dates for the Relaxer Tour in support of the album. Three weeks later, on 29 March, they released "In Cold Blood", the second single from Relaxer.On 24 May 2017 alt-J released "Adeline", the third single from Relaxer. The album was released shortly afterwards, on 2 June 2017.

On September 28, 2018 an alternative version of Relaxer was released. The album, titled REDUXER, is a "rap heavy do-over" of the previous year's record

http://altjband.com

Matilda
alt-J Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This is from
This is from
This is from Matilda

Just like Johnny Flynn said, "The breath I've taken and the one I must" to go on
Put the grenade pin in your hand, so you understand who's boss
My defeat sleeps top to toe with her success

Oh, this is from
This is from
This is from Matilda

And she needs you
This is for Matilda
And she needs you
This is for Matilda

Just like Johnny Flynn said, "The breath I've taken and the one I must" to go on
Put the grenade pin in your hand, so you understand who's boss
My defeat sleeps top to toe with her success

Oh, this is from
This is from
This is from Matilda

And she needs you
This is for Matilda
And she needs you
This is for Matilda
And she needs you
This is for Matilda
Elle a besoin de toi
Cela vient de Matilda

And she needs you
This is for Matilda
And she needs you
This is for Matilda
And she needs you
This is for Matilda
And she needs you
This is for Matilda

This is for Matilda
This is from Matilda
Matilda

Matilda
Matilda

Overall Meaning

The song Matilda by Alt-J is a beautiful ballad about love, defeat, success and the need for support. The song starts with the repetition of 'This is from Matilda' providing a focus for the rest of the song. Johnny Flynn's lyrics, "The breath I've taken and the one I must to go on" are quoted twice in the song, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and endurance. The line "Put the grenade pin in your hand, so you understand who's boss" is an allusion to taking control of the situation, and not letting the circumstance control you. Alt-J seems to be making a reference to their own lives, and their own struggles when they say "My defeat sleeps top to toe with her success", meaning that their defeat and success coexist simultaneously. This can be interpreted as a message of hope, that even in defeat, there is always a chance for success.

The repeated line "And she needs you, This is for Matilda" is very significant. It shows that Matilda needs her support, and that it is important to show her that she is loved and appreciated. This is reiterated in several languages including French, which indicates that this message is for the whole world. The song's lyrics may be open to interpretation, but they are personal and poetic, and have touched many people's hearts.

Line by Line Meaning

This is from
The following lyrics are from the song Matilda

This is from Matilda
The song being referred to is called Matilda

Just like Johnny Flynn said, "The breath I've taken and the one I must" to go on
In the same way that Johnny Flynn sang about the importance of taking a breath to move forward, the artist is also focused on the need to keep going and persevere

Put the grenade pin in your hand, so you understand who's boss
The artist is encouraging someone to take control of their life and not let others dictate their actions or decisions

My defeat sleeps top to toe with her success
The singer sees their own failure intertwined with the success of someone else, likely Matilda

Oh, this is from
The song being referred to is still Matilda

This is from
The lyrics continue to be from the song Matilda

This is from Matilda
The song being referred to is Matilda