Gavin Adcock’s path to music was an unusual one. The Georgia-born singer-songwriter first pursued football, playing nose tackle for Georgia Southern University before hanging up his helmet after a serious knee injury in 2021. While recovering, Adcock began writing and recording country music—something he’d dabbled in during high school—and soon decided to chase this new dream full time. Actin’ Up Again marks Adcock’s first partnership with a major label, the record licensed to Warner Music Nashville via his own Thrivin Here Records. The album opens with its title track, a southern-fried power ballad about moving on after a difficult breakup, with some profane well-wishes (“I raised my glass up and said, ‘Fuck you’”) thrown in for good measure. “Sober” is one of Adcock’s more vulnerable moments, as he admits he “might even cry” thinking of an ex-lover with someone else. And fan favourite and viral hit “A Cigarette”, with its sombre pedal steel and raw, gritty arrangement, shows another flavour of heartbreak from Adcock, who cuts his hurt with gratitude: “I thank the Lord greatly for just letting you be my baby.”