Alt-J have announced their fourth album, ‘The Dream’, and shared its first track ‘U&ME’ – you can listen to it below.

The new single is described as the trio’s “most honest song to date” and arrives with an accompanying music video, directed by Prosper Unger-Hamilton, the brother of band member Gus.

“It’s about being at a festival with your best friends, having a good time, togetherness, and the feeling in life that nothing could be any better than it is right now,” Gus explained of ‘U&ME’.

The track emerged during soundchecks for Alt-J shows across the globe, with frontman Joe Newman saying that it then “gathered momentum on its own”.

As for Alt-J’s upcoming record, ‘The Dream’ presents “both beauty and darkness […] often seamlessly merging on the same track, a purposeful choice that pays dividends across the record”.

The project will feature “true-crime inspired stories and tales of Hollywood and the Chateau Marmont”, while offering fans some of the trio’s “more personal moments to-date”.

‘The Dream’ is set for release on February 11 – you can pre-order/pre-save it here and see the official artwork below.

Alt-J have also announced a North American headline tour for 2022, which will kick off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 25.

The full schedule is as follows:

FEBRUARY 2022
25  – Pittsburgh – Petersen Event Center
26  – Washington DC – The Anthem

MARCH 2022
01  – Nashville TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
02  – Atlanta GA  – State Farm Arena
04  – Tampa FL – Yuengling Center
05  – Hollywood FL – Hard Rock Live
06  – Orlando FL – Orlando Amphitheater
09  –  Dallas TX-  The Factory in Deep Ellum
12  – Austin TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
13  – Houston TX – White Oak Music Hall
15  – St Louis MS – Chaifetz Arena
16  – Detroit MI – Masonic Temple Detroit
19  – Chicago IL – Credit Union 1 Arena
20  – Minneapolis MN – The Armory
23  – Denver CO – 1STBANK Center
25  – San Diego CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego
26  – Santa Barbara CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
27  – Los Angeles CA – Staples Center
29  – Seattle WA – Wamu Theater
30  – Vancouver VA – Pacific Coliseum

APRIL 2022
01  – San Francisco CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
03  – Las Vegas NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
05  – Salt Lake City UT – UCCU Center
07  –  Kansas City KS – Cable Dahmer Arena
08 – Cincinnati OH – PromoWest Pavillion at Ovation
09  – Columbus OH – Schottenstein Center
11  – New York NY – Madison Square Garden
13  –  Philadelphia PA – TC Pavilion at The Mann
14  – Boston MA – Agganis Arena
15  – Montreal QC – Place Bell
17  – Toronto ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum

Alt-J teased their comeback last week, sharing the ‘U&ME’ title and release date on social media.

The band’s previous album, ‘Relaxer’, came out in 2017. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “[It’s] a tight 40 minutes of music that builds a very modern wall of sound. Great album, if not entirely relaxing.”