Alex G

Alex G
Alex G in 2015
Alex G in 2015
Background information
Also known as(Sandy) Alex G (2017–2020)
Born
Alexander Giannascoli

(1993-02-03) February 3, 1993 (age 33)
Havertown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • drums
  • keyboards
  • bass
  • banjo
  • accordion
WorksAlex G discography
Years active2009–present
Labels
Websitesandyalexg.com
Signature

Alexander Giannascoli (born February 3, 1993), better known by his stage names Alex G and formerly (Sandy) Alex G, is an American musician, producer, and singer-songwriter.

Giannascoli started his career playing in local bands before pursuing a solo music career. At 17, he began to release his own music and released his first album under the name Alex G in 2010. His first solo work was self-released on Bandcamp before his label debut, DSU (2014), was released on Orchid Tapes. He later signed with Lucky Number. In 2015, he signed with Domino Recording Company and released the studio albums Beach Music (2015), Rocket (2017), House of Sugar (2019) and God Save the Animals (2022). In 2024, he signed with RCA Records and released Headlights (2025).

Giannascoli scored Jane Schoenbrun's films We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021), I Saw the TV Glow (2024), and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026).

Although predominantly recording solo, Giannascoli is joined live by a backing band consisting of Sam Acchione (guitar), John Heywood (bass), and Tom Kelly (drums), a lineup that has remained constant since 2016. They are occasionally joined by Molly Germer on violin.

Early life and education

Giannascoli was born on February 3, 1993, in Havertown, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb. His father's family originates from Abruzzo in Southern Italy. Giannascoli has an older brother, David, and an older sister, Rachel.

At age 11, Giannascoli's older brother gave him a guitar which he learned to play and he began recording music. While attending Haverford High School, Giannascoli made two albums that he shared with friends. He experimented with different musical styles while making collaborative music. This included the "goth techno" he made with his sister in their band MOTHER, The Scoli Xtreme with his older brother, as well as the projects involving his high school band The Skin Cells, described as "pop rock that accidentally ended up being punk". Giannascoli's friend and bandmate in The Skin Cells, Sam Acchione, would later tour extensively with Giannascoli as a longtime member of his backing band.

In 2011, Giannascoli enrolled at Temple University, where he studied English in hopes of becoming a teacher, eventually dropping out to pursue a career in music.

Career

After self-releasing various albums, EPs, and singles on Bandcamp from 2010 to 2012, Giannascoli's popularity spread through word of mouth, blogs, and reverence by other musicians. The Fader called Giannascoli "the internet's secret best songwriter." This led to Orchid Tapes signing Giannascoli to its roster[when?] and the release of his label debut DSU (2014) on the label in the US. The album name stands for "Dream State University". In November 2014, DSU was released by Lucky Number in Europe on all formats with two new bonus tracks. The label later reissued his two preceding releases from 2012, Rules and Trick. The album garnered acclaim from music critics. Crack magazine described it as "a perfectly carbonised amalgam of early Radiohead, Pavement and Elliott Smith that's been enthusiastically received." The song "Harvey" is about Giannascoli's love for his younger brother, and the album also explores themes of "the disintegration of relationships, with family, friends and lovers." The track "Rejoyce" referenced James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Following the release of the album, Giannascoli went on tour throughout North America and Europe.

In 2014, Giannascoli signed with Domino Recording Company and released his debut with the label Beach Music on October 9. In 2015, Giannascoli worked with Frank Ocean on his albums Endless and Blonde (both 2016), providing guitars and arrangements for several songs. He also joined Ocean's live band on guitar for his 2017 tour.

On March 2, 2017, Giannascoli announced that his second album with Domino, Rocket, would be released on May 19 and shared the first two singles, "Bobby" and "Witch". On April 4, he released another single from the album, "Proud". On May 4, he released two more singles, "Brick" and "Sportstar", before the release of the album. Rocket received acclaim from music critics and appeared on multiple publications' year-end lists of the best albums of 2017.

On April 4, 2017, Giannascoli announced the change of his stage name from Alex G to (Sandy) Alex G. The music publication Spin attributed the name change to a legal conflict with singer and YouTuber Alex Blue, who was operating at the time under the trademarked name "Alex G". On choosing the name Sandy, Giannascoli said it "was the first thing [he] put on Bandcamp" and that he had "just used that 'Sandy' as a sort of [social media] tag" since then. The "Sandy" was supposed to be silent, hence the parentheses, but he noticed that people kept pronouncing it. In June 2020, he dropped "(Sandy)" from his stage name, returning to going by Alex G.

On September 13, 2019, Giannascoli released his eighth studio album, House of Sugar. The album received positive reviews and placed 17th on Pitchfork's year-end best albums list. Giannascoli co-produced Tomberlin’s EP Projections which was released in October 2020, which was recorded in his apartment in Philidelphia.

Giannascoli scored the film We're All Going to the World's Fair, released on April 8, 2022. He also scored Jane Schoenbrun's film I Saw the TV Glow, which was released by A24 in 2024. On September 23, 2022, Giannascoli released his ninth studio album, God Save the Animals. In January 2024, Giannascoli announced his signing with RCA Records and an upcoming tour supporting the band Foo Fighters.

On May 2, 2025, Alex G performed at Bernie Sanders's "Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here" rally held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In the same month, Giannascoli announced his tenth studio album and RCA Records debut, Headlights. It was released on July 17.

Musical style

Giannascoli's music is often characterized as indie rock with a lo-fi esthetic due to recording all his music independently in his home. He is frequently compared to singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, who he is influenced by. He is also compared to the bands Built to Spill and the Martinis.

The Philadelphia Inquirer praised him as "a particularly gifted melody writer" whose "fuzzy, sometimes distorted songs, which hark back to slightly askew 1990s bands such as Pavement, can't hide his skill as a pop craftsman and a constructor of elliptical narratives that call for repeated listening." He stated that his creative process consists of him usually working alone in his room with his guitar and adding other instruments later. When asked about working in a professional recording studio, he replied, "I feel like I'm eventually going to have to do that, but I just don't want to. Because I don't know how to work all that stuff, and I don't want anyone else to have control. I just want to follow my own ideas, and I'm uncomfortable doing it any other way."

Despite being formerly hesitant to record his music in professional studios, God Save the Animals (2022) was studio-recorded with help from Jacob Portrait during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal life

Giannascoli has been in a relationship with violinist Molly Germer since 2017. Germer has provided violin and background vocals for every Alex G album since Rocket, and occasionally plays with the band live. The couple has a son who was born in 2023.

Discography

Studio albums

Soundtrack albums

Live albums

  • Live at The Headroom (2015)
  • Live at Third Man Records (2018)
  • Live from Union Transfer (2023)

EPs

  • Easy (2011)
  • Paint (2013)
  • Split 7" with R.L. Kelly (2013)

References

  1. ↑ DeVille, Chris (June 16, 2020). "Alex G Officially Drops the (Sandy)". Stereogum.
  2. 1 2 Donelson, Marcy. "(Sandy) Alex G | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ Giannascoli, Alex (September 14, 2019). "Intervista a (Sandy) Alex G: "Il mio processo creativo è far girare i dadi, fino quando ti dici: oh eccolo!"". Rumore (Interview). Interviewed by Ianne, Stefania. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Thompson, James F. (December 23, 2014). "After sitting on a backlog of lo-fi gems since his early teens, Alex G is reluctantly sharing his talent with the wider word". Crack Magazine (48).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 McDermott, Patrick (May 1, 2014). "Who is Alex G? Meet the Internet's Secret Best Songwriter". The Fader. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  6. ↑ Giannascoli, Alex (2014). "Where Is My Mind?: Alex G". The Deli (Interview). Interviewed by V., Alexis. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 DeLuca, Dan (December 7, 2014). "Alex G: One-man band a Philly indie success". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  8. ↑ https://www.samacchione.com/discography-2/the-skin-cells-demoh
  9. ↑ Borcas, Matt (September 30, 2015). "The Prolific Alex G Professionalizes his Song Machine". grantland. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  10. ↑ Feinberg, Hannah (April 8, 2014). "On Our Radar: Emerging Philly Musician Alex G." Philadelphia. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Alex G – Trick / Rules". Lucky Number Music. London. January 27, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  12. ↑ Thompson, James F. (January 6, 2015). "Alex G is sharing his hidden talents". Crack. Crack Industries Limited. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  13. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (August 13, 2015). "Prolific Indie Singer Alex G Announces New Album, 'Beach Music'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  14. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (October 13, 2016). "Alex G Opens Up About Working With Frank Ocean". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  15. ↑ Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (August 1, 2017). "Meet The Band Members Behind Frank Ocean's Intimate Festival Performances". Fader. The FADER Inc.
  16. ↑ Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (March 2, 2017). "Listen To Two New Songs From Alex G's Upcoming Rocket Album". The Fader. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  17. ↑ Rettig, James (March 2, 2017). "Alex G – "Bobby" & "Witch"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (April 4, 2017). "Alex G Announces Name Change To (Sandy) Alex G, Shares New Single "Proud"". The Fader. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  19. 1 2 Kim, Michelle Hyun (April 4, 2017). "Alex G Changes Name to (Sandy) Alex G, Shares New Song "Proud": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  20. ↑ Richards, Will (May 4, 2017). "(Sandy) Alex G Shares Two New Tracks And Announces UK Tour". DIY. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Arcand, Rob (May 19, 2017). "(Sandy) Alex G Is Indie Rock's Humble Star: "I'm Just Trying to Make Songs That Sound Good"". Spin. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  22. ↑ Gaca, Anna (July 14, 2025). "The (Real) Alex G". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  23. ↑ DeVille, Chris (June 16, 2020). "Alex G Officially Drops The (Sandy)". Stereogum. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  24. ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan (June 4, 2019). "(Sandy) Alex G Returns With 'House of Sugar', Releases New Song 'Gretel'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  25. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. CN Entertainment. December 10, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  26. ↑ Blum, Dani (October 16, 2020). "Tomberlin: Projections EP". Pitchfork.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ↑ Torres, Eric (April 19, 2022). "We're All Going to the World's Fair (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Pitchfork. CN Entertainment. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  28. ↑ Fu, Eddie (May 16, 2024). "Alex G Unveils Original Score for A24's I Saw the TV Glow". Consequence. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  29. ↑ Bloom, Madison (June 21, 2022). "Alex G Announces New Album, Shares Video for New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  30. ↑ Rigotti, Alex (January 20, 2024). "Alex G announces record deal with RCA and 2024 tour". NME. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  31. ↑ Brandt, Joe (May 1, 2025). "Bernie Sanders visiting Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Bethlehem on 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour". CBS News. Retrieved November 1, 2026.
  32. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (May 29, 2025). "Alex G Announces New Album Headlights, Shares Video for New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  33. 1 2 Gaca, Anna (July 14, 2025). "The (Real) Alex G". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  34. ↑ Lovito, Michael (October 5, 2022). "On God Save the Animals, Alex G Finally Puts it All Together". The Postrider. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  35. ↑ Suskind, Alex (February 13, 2026). "Alex G to Score Jane Schoenbrun Film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 8, 2026.