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venbee has announced her new EP 'back to the drawing board' with 'stars (john's local)'•

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Slayyyter is buying herself out of heartbreak with 'brand new chanel$'•

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Keo have packed out a Manchester skatepark for their new 'Pistol' video•

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Do Nothing question life on autopilot with their new single 'Act Natural'•

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Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•

JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•

Dork and Glass Animals have announced a one-night-only ‘How To Be A Human Being’ anniversary party•

Stella Lefty has announced her debut album 'Long Way Home'•

venbee has announced her new EP 'back to the drawing board' with 'stars (john's local)'•

HMLTD have returned with their confrontational new single 'Blitzkrieg'•

Slayyyter is buying herself out of heartbreak with 'brand new chanel$'•

Remi Wolf has returned with buttless banger 'Twiggy'•

Keo have packed out a Manchester skatepark for their new 'Pistol' video•

Rachel Chinouriri has announced her second album 'I think I spoke too soon'•

Mercury Prize has revealed this year's 12 shortlisted albums•

Do Nothing question life on autopilot with their new single 'Act Natural'•

Robyn has released a new version of 'Talk To Me' with Zara Larsson•

Dua Lipa's London Literature Festival has revealed its full programme•

Down With Boring reports in from Dork's Latitude 2026 takeover•

NCT 127 have announced their seventh full-length album 'BLINGY'•

Nieve Ella has announced her debut album 'How Long Will It Take?'•

Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•

The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•

flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•

Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•

JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•

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alt-J – The Actor (2022) | Track profile | Dork

Tracks
alt-J
The Dream
The Actor

SINGLE

The Actor

Release date: 11th February 2022

From The Dream

Track 5

4:01

Alternative Music

Spotify Apple Music More on alt-J

About This Track

'The Actor' by alt-J is a 2022 alternative track from the album 'The Dream'. Its lyrics are steeped in a grim, self-scrutinising cycle of performance and retreat, with the narrator counting their way through scripts, auditions they do not get, and the question of why they keep returning. Drug references recur, including the repetition of “Cocaine”, alongside images of bricked-up exits and paneled-in back doors that suggest a life sealed off, yet still acting its parts.

"The Actor" is a single by alt-J, from the album The Dream, released 11th February 2022. The track is 4:01 long. It's filed under Alternative. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 10 articles about alt-J.

About the Artist

alt-J

alt-J

Lyrics

The Actor

Bricked up a kilo
Paneled down in the back door
All the while I'm riding
To auditions I'm not getting
Why do I keep on returning to you?
All American jawlines
One moment going over scene lines
Grind the scripts
Like teeth
Why do I keep on returning to you?
Cocaine
Cocaine
Swarm of TV cameras
Click and stumble at the Chateau
Later, I hear John's
Body got carried out
Ice cream was a code word
Told to me by a code man
These nice hotels
I don't know your clientele
Why do I keep on returning to you?
(Cocaine) cocaine
(Cocaine) cocaine
Why do I keep on returning to you?
(Give me some ice cream)
Give it to me now, oh, now
I'm in the deepest end of an empty pool
(He's never gonna make it)
(He's never gonna make it in L.A.)
I'm in the deepest end of an empty pool
Cocaine
Cocaine
I'm in the deepest end of an empty pool
(He's never gonna make it)
(He's never gonna make it in L.A.)
I'm in the deepest end of an empty pool
(He's never gonna make it) cocaine
(He's never gonna make it) cocaine

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From The Dream

4:012022Single

Listen

Album

11th February 2022

Track number

5

Release year

2022

1Bane
5:10
2U&Me
3:19
3Hard Drive Gold
2:38
4Happier When You're Gone
4:00

Watch the music video

alt-J — The Actor

alt-J — The Actor

The Actor

More from alt-J

Albums & EPs

The Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

The Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

The Dream (Deluxe)

The Dream (Deluxe)

Relaxer

Live at Red Rocks (Deluxe)

Live at Red Rocks (Deluxe)

Live At Red Rocks

Explore

More tracks by alt-J

Happier When You're GoneThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

PhiladelphiaThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

U&MeThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

ChicagoThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

Losing My MindThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

PowdersThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

Hard Drive GoldThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

Get BetterThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

The ActorThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

BaneThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

Walk a MileThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

DeltaThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)

Surefire (Gus alt-J Remix)

Things Will Get Better

The Actor (Ben De Vries Remix)

BaneThe Dream (Deluxe)

U&MeThe Dream (Deluxe)

Happier When You're GoneThe Dream (Deluxe)

DeltaThe Dream (Deluxe)

ChicagoThe Dream (Deluxe)

Losing My MindThe Dream (Deluxe)

Get BetterThe Dream (Deluxe)

PowdersThe Dream (Deluxe)

Walk a MileThe Dream (Deluxe)

PhiladelphiaThe Dream (Deluxe)

The ActorThe Dream (Deluxe)

Hard Drive GoldThe Dream (Deluxe)

Apple Music Home Session: alt‐J

U&ME (Apple Music Home Session)

Hard Drive Gold (Maya Jane Coles Remix)

U&ME (The De Beauvoir Session)

Hard Drive Gold (Loor Remix)

Get Better (The De Beauvoir Session)

Matilda (The De Beauvoir Session)

Oceans Are Forming (Demo)

Get BetterThe Dream

PowdersThe Dream

Losing My MindThe Dream

Walk a MileThe Dream

PhiladelphiaThe Dream

ChicagoThe Dream

Happier When You're GoneThe Dream

Happier When You’re GoneThe Dream

Hard Drive GoldThe Dream

U&Me (Baauer Remix)

Breezeblocks (Tinlicker remix)

View all tracks by alt-J →

Apple Music Home Session: alt‐J
BaneThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)
5:10
BaneThe Dream (Deluxe)
5:10
BaneThe Dream
5:10
Breezeblocks (Tinlicker remix)
ChicagoThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)
3:55
ChicagoThe Dream (Deluxe)
3:55
ChicagoThe Dream
3:55
DeltaThe Dream (CARBS Remix Edition)
1:00
DeltaThe Dream (Deluxe)
1:00

Showing 10 of 50

If you like alt-J

Foals

Foals

Bombay Bicycle Club

Bombay Bicycle Club

Chelou

Chelou

Broken Bells

Broken Bells

Glass Animals

Glass Animals

Two Door Cinema Club

Two Door Cinema Club

5The Actor

4:01

11Losing My Mind

—Happier When You’re Gone

Credits

Production & Engineering

Writer: Gus Unger-Hamilton, Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green
Producer: Charlie Andrew
Drums: Thom Sonny Green
Guitar: Joe Newman
Keyboards: Gus Unger-Hamilton
Vocals: Joe Newman
Additional Production: Matt Glasbey
Background Vocals: April Unger-Hamilton, Gus Unger-Hamilton
Cello: Reinoud Ford
Double Bass: Andy Marshall
Mastering Engineer: Dick Beetham
Mixing Engineer: Charlie Andrew, Matt Glasbey
Percussion: Thom Sonny Green
Programmer: Charlie Andrew, Thom Sonny Green
Recording Engineer: Matt Glasbey
Strings Conductor: Will Gardner
Synthesizer: Gus Unger-Hamilton
Violin: Ciaran McCabe, Kirsty Mangan, Matthew Ward

READ MORE ABOUT ALT-J

READ MORE ABOUT ALT-J

READ MORE ABOUT ALT-J

READ MORE ABOUT ALT-J

READ MORE ABOUT ALT-J

READ MORE ABOUT ALT-J

READ MORE ABOUT ALT-J

READ MORE ABOUT ALT-J

alt-J’s Joe Newman is going to play an intimate JJerome87 London show for Dork's Night Out

alt-J’s Joe Newman is going to play an intimate JJerome87 London show for Dork's Night Out

He’ll perform at St Matthias Church this autumn.

18 Aug 2026 • 9:23 am

Alt-J, Wolf Alice and The Amazons to play special shows for BRITs Week

Alt-J, Wolf Alice and The Amazons to play special shows for BRITs Week

It's all in aid of War Child

16 Jan 2018 • 10:01 am

Alt-J do things their own way as they headline the Other Stage at Glastonbury 2017

Alt-J do things their own way as they headline the Other Stage at Glastonbury 2017

Alt-J may have their own way of doing things, but at the end of the day it’s just as effective as any other.

25 Jun 2017 • 5:56 am

Alt-J explain the characters behind Wolf Alice's Ellie Rowsell and Marika Hackman's guest slots on new album 'Relaxer'

Alt-J explain the characters behind Wolf Alice's Ellie Rowsell and Marika Hackman's guest slots on new album 'Relaxer'

Gus and Joe detail the collaborators on the band's latest full-length.

3 Jun 2017 • 7:52 am

Alt-J have announced a seaside tour this September

Alt-J have announced a seaside tour this September

Let's hope summer holds out, eh?

30 May 2017 • 8:10 am

Alt-J bring the grooves to US telly with ‘In Cold Blood’

Alt-J bring the grooves to US telly with ‘In Cold Blood’

Backed by The Roots’ Questlove, it’s a captivating take that has us right ready for new album 'Relaxer'

20 Apr 2017 • 12:32 am