Despite releasing a new album earlier this month, Alt-J revisited their early catalog Monday evening with a performance of the 2012 single “Breezeblocks” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The performance, Colbert noted, was a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the British indie rock trio’s Mercury Prize-winning album, An Awesome Wave.
The ambling track, which frontman Joe Newman told Interview Magazine in 2012 was partially inspired by a line from the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are, buries its dark, threatening tale of a murderous lover beneath playful synth leads and Newman’s sing-song vocals. “She bruises, coughs, she splutters pistol shots,” he sings. “Hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks.”
Alt-J recently released The Dream, the group’s first studio album since 2017’s Relaxer, announcing the record with a video for lead…