"Tessellate" is a song by English

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Alt-J Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwil Sainsbury ...

from their debut studio album, '' An Awesome Wave'' (2012). The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury and Thom Green and produced by Charlie Andrew. It was originally released on 13 October 2011 as a double A-side single with “ Bloodflood”, before being released separately on 13 July 2012 as the album's third single.

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Tessellate" was first released on YouTube on 9 July 2012. The video was directed by Alex Southam and is a reworking of the painting ''

The School of Athens ''The School of Athens'' () is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. It was painted between 1509 and 1511 as part of a commission by Pope Julius II to decorate the rooms now called the in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. ...

'' by

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

, using 21st century characters in a room similar to the painting's background (

Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...

, in Paris). One of the characters at the very beginning of the clip is wearing a printed T-shirt of the painting.

Covers

In 2013, "Tessellate" was covered by English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding on the deluxe edition of '' Halcyon Days'', the reissue of her second studio album, '' Halcyon''. English

indie folk Indie folk (also called alternative folk) is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Characteristics The staff of '' Paste Magazine'' said in 2020: "No music genre ...

band

Mumford & Sons Mumford & Sons are a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, double bass, bass guitar), and Ben Lovett (British musician), B ...

also covered the song on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...

on 25 September 2012; their version was included on the compilation album '' BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge 2013''.

Media usage

The song is used as the opening theme song to the

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

series '' Ingress''. The song has been featured in the soundtrack of the first episode of the 2024 television series '' Day of the Jackal''.

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Ellie Goulding 2011 songs 2012 singles Alt-J songs Songs written by Thom Sonny Green Infectious Records singles Atlantic Records singles