Originally from Watkinsville, Georgia, Gavin Adcock began writing songs in high school but didn't make the switch into music until 2021, after a key injury put paid to his football career. Since then he's racked up over 100 million streams worldwide and played a string of sold-out headline shows, and now he's releasing his second album ‘Actin' Up Again', the follow-up to last year's ‘Bonfire Blackout'.
The 16-song project opens with the title track, which very much sets the tone for the rest of the album. Adcock's distinctive gravelly drawl narrates a rollicking, twangy tale of indulging in one's vices to deal with a heartbreak, with an enormous chorus and a vibe reminiscent of 00s rock bands like The Fray and Goo Goo Dolls. There's a touch of humour and frankness in his storytelling and the fuzzy guitars on the bridge add an organic feel that sets the song apart from many similar tracks out there at the moment.
One thing which stood out to me was the mix of sounds Adcock includes here. Although it's definitely more on the rock side, there's touches of classic Bon Jovi on the likes of the regret-laced ‘Sweetheart' with its long outro and ‘All I Need', a celebration of the simple things in life which nods to ‘GP biscuits' and George Strait. Elsewhere, ‘Want Me To Be' has a 90s grunge feel and features an optimistic, upbeat narrative alongside richer vocals from Adcock as he sings about being the best he can for a new lover – and introducing them to his dog – whilst the stomping ‘Run Your Mouth' echoes The Cadillac Three with its stomping rhythm, crunchy guitar and a slight whine in Adcock's voice as he sings about owning wrongs and his wild past (‘face pressed against a .44'). He also draws on blues on ‘Don't Like Leaving You', which gives Adcock a chance to show his sweet side, and R'n'B influences in ‘The Battle', a tale of a toxic relationship which features a spoken-word verse, spiky chords and another big chorus.
For me most of the stronger moments come in the second half of the project. The lonesome ‘A Cigarette' sees Adcock in reflective mood as he talks about taking solace in caffeine and nicotine in the absence of a lover over a wailing guitar. There's a tremble in his voice along with some impressive big notes, and you really feel the emotion in the song. Meanwhile, ‘As He Could Be' is a downbeat, vivid yet wry portrait of a man in the grips of alcoholism that walks a fine line between knowingness and sorrow and features some lovely delicate piano, whilst the driving ‘Past Actions' finds him fully rocking out and letting the belt in his voice loose – I can definitely see this being a big singalong live!
That said, there's things to like early on too. ‘Back To This Bar' is a standout, with Adcock falling for ‘blonde hair and a barroom stare' and showing his vulnerable side, whilst ‘Wake Up With You' is an atmospheric love song with a touch of drama and plenty of details (such as getting pulled over in Alabama on the way back to a partner's arms). I also particularly liked the stripped-back ‘Sober' with its quietly powerful delivery and a touch of bite in the lyrics ‘he couldn't love her as well as I could'), and the slinky, pulsing ‘Four Leaf Clover' which highlights the growl in his voice and a clever lyrical twist on the bridge.
After the reflective ‘Demons Of Today' with its layers of instrumentation, Adcock closes the album with ‘Hours After Hours'. With its whistling intro and fuzzy guitars, the song explores Adcock's attempt to deal with losing love through late nights and alcohol. It's a cleverly constructed song, with a pause after the chorus before bursting into a guitar riff and almost breathy vocals in places. The abrupt end leaves you wanting more and it feels like it encapsulates a lot of the record's themes for me.
Overall, ‘Actin' Up Again' is an album that's likely to have a lot of appeal to fans of indie country-rock who enjoy smart songwriting – if Morgan Wallen was singing Zach Bryan songs, chances are it'd sound a lot like this. And there's no doubt Adcock has some solid vocals on display here too. However, my main issue with the record is it's a little too heavily weighted towards the back end, and could perhaps do to be trimmed back slightly – after a while the songs meld together a little and I think making one or two cuts would have added to its impact. But it's definitely going to win Adcock a lot of new listeners, and I'll be intrigued to see where he might go from here.
Track listing: 1. Actin' Up Again 2. Back To This Bar 3. Sweetheart 4. Wake Up With You 5. Sober 6. Four Leaf Clover 7. Want Me To Be 8. Don't Like Leavin' You 9. A Cigarette 10. As He Could Be 11. All I Need 12. The Battle 13. Past Actions 14. Run Your Mouth 15. Demons Of Today 16. Hours After Hours Record label: Thrivin Here Records/Warner Music Nashville Release date: 2nd August 2024
