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
Warm Foothills
alt-J Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Dry dunes cater for jumping boys
From the nape of her neck he made his descent
They watched men hurl from rock to sea
Like sternum to button, lined lip pinches in between
Your foothills
Your warm
Iris swims quietly beside me
Oh the leaves and larger weeds sway and stretch themselves beneath
Blue dragonflies dart to and fro
I tie my life to your balloon and let it go
Your foothills
Your warm
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
The lyrics of Alt-J's "Warm Foothills" are open to interpretation, but they seem to depict a couple intimately exploring a desert landscape. The first verses refer to "dry dunes", which provide seemingly endless opportunities for boys to jump and play. The singer then describes the couple watching men hurl themselves from rocks into the sea, comparing their falling bodies to a closed button between the woman's sternum and her lips. This metaphor could symbolize the love between the couple, which is sealed off from the outside world.
The second half of the song portrays the couple walking in the foothills, surrounded by nature. The woman's name is revealed to be Iris, and the lyrics suggest a sense of peace and serenity as they wander in the landscape. The singer compares the swaying leaves and weeds to a sea beneath them, while blue dragonflies fly to and fro. Finally, the singer ties his "life to [her] balloon" and lets it go, as if his happiness is tied to the woman and her presence in his life.
Overall, "Warm Foothills" seems to be a tribute to nature's beauty, and the joy and peace that can come from exploring it with someone special.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh
vocalization with no specific meaning
Dry dunes cater for jumping boys
The sandy hills make great terrain for young boys to jump and play
From the nape of her neck he made his descent
He descended down her bare back, starting from the base of her neck
They watched men hurl from rock to sea
Onlookers observed men jump from the rocks into the ocean below
Like sternum to button, lined lip pinches in between
Just as the chestbone buttons a shirt closed, the space between their lips creates a similar smooth closure
Your foothills, Your warm
A repetitive mantra, highlighting the comfort and familiarity of being with a loved one
Iris swims quietly beside me
The flower name is used as an allegory for the accompanying figure swimming silently next to the singer
Oh the leaves and larger weeds sway and stretch themselves beneath
The foliage and greenery around them move and bend, as if alive and reacting to their presence
Blue dragonflies dart to and fro
The blue insects fly quickly back and forth, creating a fluid and graceful scene
I tie my life to your balloon and let it go
The artist metaphorically attaches themselves to their partner's happiness and lets it soar, freeing themselves from the worries of life
Ooh
A concluding vocalization with no specific meaning
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Augustus Figaro Niso Unger-Hamilton, Joe Jerome Newman, Thomas Stuart Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@01mggr
Dry dunes cater for jumping boys
From the nape of her neck he made his descent
They watched men hurl from rock to sea
Like sternum to button, lined lip pinches in between
Your foothills
Your warm
Iris swims quietly beside me
Oh the leaves and larger weeds sway and stretch themselves beneath
Blue dragonflies dart to and fro
I tie my life to your balloon and let it go
Your foothills
Your warm
@rhiannonm8132
You know when you've been hit with something hard, some feeling or thought or event, and it's wrecked you a little bit, and you've had a good cry, and then the cry ends, naturally, as cries do, and you're kind of empty again, almost peaceful, and after a while you think to yourself, "okay then, let's get back to it," and you get up again, and you get dressed and have some tea and wash your face and get back to the life again, and every action, every breath feels... fresh, and new, and you still feel the aftermath of all of that emotion but mostly you feel beautiful and sweet and strong? Because you know you're delicate and sometimes you break, but there you are, up again, feeling okay being alive?
That feeling is what this song sounds like.
@rhiannonm8132
I also love the meaning the lyrics give it (i.e., sex as this beautiful, natural thing, etc) but this was the feeling it gave me before hearing the lyrics.
@SleepyCity0001
Yes I definitely agree. I love that feeling. You put the words right out of my mouth.
@victorialombardi5057
Wow. Lovely words
@alexconstantinides4360
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@karidegerstrom8215
Kristina danger
@thehartkrusher
Being an Alt-J fan brought me here.
@alicevanlancker5346
Good answer
@shaw333
SAME
@f0x313
Tru.