Released 18 May 2012 Recorded 2011 Label Infectious | Format Digital download Length 3:47 | |
Genre Indie pop
art rock
experimental rock | ||
"Breezeblocks" is a song by British indie rock band alt-J from their debut studio album An Awesome Wave (2012). The song was released on 18 May 2012 as the album's second single. The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury, Thom Green, Murad Merali and produced by Charlie Andrew. It reached the top ten in the UK Indie and US Alternative charts, and was voted into third place in Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2012, behind "Thrift Shop" and "Little Talks".
Contents
Songwriting
The song contains multiple references to the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. Newman sings, "Do you know where the wild things go?" In addition, the repeated refrain at the end of the song is a modified version of a portion of the book. Breezeblocks' lyrics are "Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole / I love you so". Sendak's words are "Oh, please don't go — we'll eat you up — we love you so!".
Music video
A music video was created to accompany the release of the song. Directed by Ellis Bahl and starring actors Jonathan Dwyer, Jessica DiGiovanni, and Eleanor Pienta, it is the band's first official music video.
The video features a violent fight in an apartment between a male and a female character shown in reverse, beginning with the death of the female character at the hands of the male character, who bludgeons her with a breeze block. As the fight progresses backwards, it is revealed that the female character is the aggressor in the fight, having ambushed the male character as he returned home to discover his wife bound and gagged.
The video aired for the first time on YouTube on 23 March 2012. As of June 2016, it has er 100 million views. The video won at the UK Music Video Awards for “Best Alternative Video” on 8 November 2012.
Track listing
- "Breezeblocks" – 3:47
- Tom Vek's Remix – 3:59
- "Breezeblocks" – 3:47
- "Breezeblocks" – 3:47
- Tom Vek's Remix – 5:18
- B-Ju Remix – 3:59
- Rockdaworld Remix – 4:41