Ever get that feeling when you're listening to a song and everything sounds like a vibe until a string of numbers just... happens? That's basically the collective experience of hearing the in cold blood alt j lyrics for the first time. It's catchy. It’s brassy. It feels like a summer pool party that’s about to turn into a slasher flick.
Alt-J has always been the king of "smart-pop," but this track from their 2017 album Relaxer takes the cake for being both incredibly accessible and deeply weird. You’ve got Joe Newman’s signature elastic vocals singing about 0s and 1s, poolsides, and something called a "Kelly" which, honestly, confused everyone for a solid year.
Let's get into what’s actually happening here.
The Binary Code Mystery in In Cold Blood Alt J Lyrics
Okay, let's address the elephant in the room. The "01110011" thing.
If you look at the in cold blood alt j lyrics, you'll notice a repetitive sequence of binary. For most bands, this would just be filler. For Alt-J? It’s a literal translation. In the world of 8-bit binary code, the sequence 01110011 translates to the lowercase letter "s".
Why "s"?
Joe Newman eventually cleared this up in an interview with NPR. He wasn't trying to send a message to our future robot overlords. He was actually thinking about his old Casio keyboard. When he was younger, he’d type "01110011" into the display because it looked like the word "shell." However, in the context of the song, "s" stands for "swimmer."
It’s a bit of a stretch, right? But that’s the charm. It’s nerdy. It’s a bit pretentious. It’s exactly what we expect from the guys who wrote a song about Léon: The Professional on their first record. The binary acts as a rhythmic anchor, a stuttering digital heartbeat that contrasts with the warm, analog sound of the brass section—which, by the way, was recorded at Abbey Road.
What is a "Kelly" anyway?
"Kelly watch the stars."
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Wait, wrong band. That’s Air.
In the in cold blood alt j lyrics, Newman sings, "Kelly, let’s Ghost Ride the whip."
For a long time, fans were debating if "Kelly" was a specific person. Maybe a girlfriend? An ex? A cryptic reference to Kelly Slater because of the water theme?
Nope.
It’s a "Kelly pool."
If you aren't a billiards nerd, a Kelly pool (also known as pea pool) is a pocket billiards game played with standard balls and a set of fifteen small markers called peas or tally balls. The song is littered with these references to "poolside" culture, but it’s filtered through a lens of impending doom. It’s a "cry of the heart" set against a backdrop of leisure.
The phrase "Ghost Ride the whip" is a Bay Area hip-hop reference (shoutout to E-40) that involves stepping out of a moving car and dancing beside it. Mixing 19th-century parlor games like Kelly pool with mid-2000s hyphy culture is such a specific, weird flex. It makes the lyrics feel like a collage of different eras. It’s jarring. It works.
The Dark Narrative Beneath the Brass
Most people hear the "La-la-la-la" and the upbeat tempo and assume it's a party anthem. It isn't. Not even close.
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The song title itself is a direct nod to Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. If you haven't read it or seen the film, it’s the foundational text of the true crime genre, detailing the 1959 murders of the Clutter family.
While the in cold blood alt j lyrics don't literally retell the Clutter murders, they borrow the atmosphere of that book. There’s a sense of "coldness" in the digital age. The lyrics mention a "lifeless backdrift" and "the sea-sun’s rolling in." It feels like something violent has just happened, or is about to happen, while everyone else is just... chilling by the pool.
The contrast is the point.
You have these high-energy, almost triumphant horns—courtesy of the same brass players who worked on some of the biggest pop hits of the decade—blaring over lyrics about "summer’s day on a plate." It’s the sound of a breakdown in paradise.
Examining the Wordplay and "Gus"
One of the most human elements of this track is the shoutout to the band’s drummer, Thom Sonny Green. If you listen closely to the in cold blood alt j lyrics, you'll hear the line "Gus, tell ‘em what I’m doing."
This refers to Gus Unger-Hamilton, the band's keyboardist and backing vocalist. It’s a meta-moment. It breaks the "fourth wall" of the song. It reminds you that despite the complex binary and the literary references, this is just a group of friends in a studio.
They also play with the concept of "stepping into the shallow." Usually, "stepping into the deep end" is the metaphor for danger. Here, the shallow is where the "01110011" (the swimmer) is. It flips the expectation. It suggests that the danger isn't in the unknown, but in the mundane, everyday places we think are safe.
Why the Song Sounds Different Than Their Other Hits
If you compare this to "Breezeblocks" or "Left Hand Free," In Cold Blood feels more aggressive.
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The band actually started writing this song long before Relaxer came out. It dates back to their days as students at Leeds University. You can feel that raw, younger energy. It’s less "art school project" and more "indie rock swagger."
The production is also intentionally "hot." The drums are loud. The vocals are dry. It doesn't have the same wash of reverb that defined their earlier work. This makes the lyrics stand out more. You can’t hide from the binary. You can’t ignore the "Kelly."
Common Misconceptions About the Lyrics
People love to over-analyze Alt-J. Sometimes to a fault.
- Myth 1: The song is about a computer coming to life.
- Reality: While there are digital themes, it’s more about the intersection of human emotion and technology.
- Myth 2: The "Kelly" is Kelly Marie Tran.
- Reality: No. The timelines don't even match up for that to be a thing.
- Myth 3: It’s a pro-violence song because of the Capote reference.
- Reality: It’s a critique of how we consume "cold" information and tragedy as entertainment.
Honestly, the band usually laughs off the most intense theories. They've stated in multiple interviews that they like words because of how they sound just as much as what they mean. "Cusp of a finger" just sounds cool. "Pentagon pocket" has a specific rhythmic weight.
Actionable Insights for Alt-J Fans
If you want to truly appreciate the in cold blood alt j lyrics, stop looking at them as a puzzle to be solved. Treat them like an impressionist painting.
- Listen to the "Twin" track: Check out the remix featuring Pusha T and Danny Brown. It recontextualizes the "Ghost Ride the whip" line and gives the song a completely different, grittier energy that highlights the darker undertones of the original.
- Read the Source Material: If you haven't read Capote’s In Cold Blood, give it a go. It will change how you hear the "cold" in the chorus. It adds a layer of dread to the poolside imagery.
- Watch the Music Video: The video features a woodchuck (yes, really) and is narrated by Iggy Pop. It leans heavily into the "nature is brutal" theme, which mirrors the song's juxtaposition of beauty and violence.
- Try the Binary Yourself: Type 01110011 into a binary-to-text converter. It’s a small thing, but it connects you to the tactile way Joe Newman writes songs—using old tech and physical objects as inspiration.
The beauty of Alt-J is that they don't hand you the answers. They give you the binary and let you find the "s" yourself. Whether you think it's about a murder, a pool game, or just the feeling of a hot summer day gone wrong, you're probably right. That’s the point. It’s a "Relaxer," but it’s anything but relaxing.
Next time you're at a pool, maybe don't ghost ride the whip, but definitely keep an eye out for any 0s and 1s floating in the shallow end.