We’ve had a particular fixation with alt-J since 2012, when they appeared out of nowhere with an hypnotically excellent, ethereal debut album An Awesome Wave. Two years later, the quartet has become a trio and returned with a tremendously good first taste of their sophomore release – which makes us all the more excited for their Treasure Island festival appearance alongside Massive Attack, Outkast and more.
“Hunger of the Pine” is the first single from alt-J’s second album, This Is All Yours, out on Sept. 22. The gorgeous pulsing of the song frames singer Joe Newman’s poetic musing, with an entirely unexpected sample of “I’m a female rebel” from Miley Cyrus’ “4×4”.
Bassist Gwil Sainsbury left the band amicably last year, and the remaining trio was unsure at first on how to proceed. Keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton told NPR that “Having to write songs as a trio rather than a foursome was a daunting prospect for us at first, but coming up with this song reassured us that — for want of a better phrase — we were going to be OK.”
Unger-Hamilton explains that the song is “composed entirely of new and spontaneous ideas that arose during writing sessions for the second album. It was written very quickly using some guitar chords and sounds being layered on Ableton, and seemed to signal a bit of a new sound for us. The lyrics mainly suggest the idea that missing someone — pining — can be a physical pain much like hunger.”
Here are the song’s lyrics, by Joe Newman.
HUNGER OF THE PINE
Sleeplessly embracing
Butterflies and needles
Line my seamed-up join
Encased in case I need it
In my stomach, for my heart
Chain mail
Hunger of the pine
Sleeplessly embracing
Yawn yearns into me
Plenty more tears in the sea
And so you finally use it
Bedding with me you see at night
Your heart wears knight armour
Hunger of the pine
Sleeplessly
Embracing
You
Realisation grew on me
As quickly as it takes your hand
To warm the cool side of the pillow
I’m there for you, be there for me
I’ll hum the song the soldiers sing
As they march outside our window
Hunger of the pine
Sleeplessly
Embracing
You
Une immense espérance a traversée la terre
Une immense espérance a traversée ma peur
