In Cold Blood

Album: Relaxer (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Alt-J vocalist Joe Newman sings about a summertime pool party that takes a dark turn:

    Lifeless back slaps the surface of the pool
    Pool killer, killer, pool, pool killer


    The track seems to echo themes from the band's 2012 song "Bloodflood" that also mixes a violent story with watery images. ("A wave, an awesome wave. That rushes skin and widens in blooded veins.")
  • The song was originally written in the band's early days at Leeds University. They completed it in 2016 in London. Alt-J said:

    "The brass was recorded at Abbey Road; the keyboards were done on a Casiotone that cost £1.05 on eBay; and no-one is quite sure where the key change came from."
  • The music video opens with a voiceover by Iggy Pop before following the life of a wood mouse. Alt-J said: "We love working with great directors, giving them the creative freedom to interpret our tracks as they wish. It leads to great collaborations, like this new video for 'In Cold Blood' from Casper Balslev. As you are about to find out, a day in the life of a wood mouse can be unexpectedly dangerous."
  • The song title comes from the 1966 book of the same name by Truman Capote. However, Alt-J admitted to NPR's All Things Considered, this was "mostly because it sounded good rather than due to the song being about mass murder."
  • Alt-J reference American pop artist Jeff Koons' animal sculptures.

    Whiskey soda please, your G&T's empty
    Jeff's inflatables have sunk to the bottom


    Koons' artworks often resemble large, shiny balloons, but they're actually made of steel, hence why they've sunk to the bottom of the pool.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

When Rock Belonged To Michelob

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.