We love fun facts – especially when they’re about music or where bands got their names. And we have one for you about Alt-J, and why they named themselves for two keys that you’ll find on any keyboard.

Are you ready to learn the answer? It’s because when you press alt-J at the same time on a mac, you get a delta symbol, which is a small, hollow triangle. Now it could be that they really like triangles, but that delta, mathematically, stands for change. So essentially, they named their band “change” in the cleverest and most secretive way possible. We see you, Alt-J, and we hope you don’t hate us for ruining the secret. But their name isn’t the only interesting or valuable thing about them, they’re also a great band, who put out albums full of earworms. Learn more about them below.

Forming the Band

The band started out in 2008 at Leeds University. Back then, they called themselves FILMS – yes in all caps. They jammed together just for fun at first, then put some serious energy into practicing to get a record deal. They accomplished their goal in 2011, getting signed to Infectious Records. The record company was looking for a new sound, or dare we say, change, and they found it in Alt-J.

New Music and New Opportunities

When they got signed way back in 2011, barely anyone (and we mean that) knew who they were. Now they’re getting award nominations left and right and putting out albums as quickly as they can. Lately, they’ve been collaborating with hip hop artists, which has given their sound more of an edge. It took them less than ten years to go from college jam band to Grammy-nominated band – which is impressive in and of itself.