The world has been turned upside down this year. While a global pandemic is hard to get away from in the media and on the streets, the increasingly talked-about Sports Team provide a thirty minute balance of ironic social commentary and outlandish post-punk that acts as a terrific form of escapism with lashings of humour.
On their debut album âDeep Down Happyâ, the six-piece are bursting with creativity and have a lot to say. Thereâs certainly a sense of irony in a group of Cambridge graduates writing an album filled with third world problems, the mundanity of British life and all the cliches that come with it, but everything is done with self-awareness, sarcasm and a smile.
Singer Alex Riceâs most eloquently spoken British accent and funny-because-theyâre-true observational style lyricism is the bandâs biggest hook. With lines like âWhen the winterâs finally here, you can sit in your front room and laugh at your neighboursâ the frontmanâs sense of humour certainly goes a long way for the band on the album.
Owing some of their best quirks to Arctic Monkeys, the song âCamel Crewâ speaks up on British culture for all its flaws and graces with some hilarious observations (âthis carvery is on the house, service is slow, all the glasses are stained, but carry on it always comesâ). Lead single âHereâs The Thingâ comes with a sarcastic political kick to it, the track will have you laughing one moment and then frustrated with the country the next. Using tongue in cheek lyrics like âCompanies care for the people they employâ and âRule Britannia youâll never walk aloneâ in the same song, it wouldnât be surprising to mistake âDeep Down Happyâ for a comedy album.
The somewhat goofy âGoing Softâ is bound to be at the top of indie rock playlists next summer. Featuring a singalong chorus that every bucket hat wearing hipster will no doubt be screaming along to the words, âI only listen to old bandsâ on the festival scene next year. Itâs a shame that Rice doesnât hit those huge vocal notes that would take their songs up to an even more impressive standard.
Aside from the lyrical themes of the album and Riceâs flamboyant style, Sports Teamâs high energy indie rock drives the album forward. Offering a similar vibe to The Hives, the weird and upbeat guitar hooks from Rob Knaggs gives their kooky style a foot stomping force to make every track memorable and mosh pit ready. âGoing Fishingâ is musically abstract and vocally harsh, forming the albumâs highlight. Rather than a flawless studio production, the bandâs chaotic musicianship on the track is the pinnacle example of the atmosphere, timing and grit of the live performance that their reputation has been built around.
Elsewhere, some songs are more of a whimper than a bang. The woe is me âLong Hot Summerâ is not the most well crafted or vocally interesting hit. âFeels Like Funâ has a crushing crescendo that is a burst of excellence added on to the end of an elsewhere tiresome track.
Less angry than Idles but not as bizarre as Pulled Apart by Horses, Sports Team leave you with slight political jabs without going for the full knockout punch. Much of their debut album makes it clear that the band are still learning who they are. It leaves you wondering whether they have much to say beyond ironic phrases?
Whether the targets are pricks in the pub, working a suit and tie job or mid-noughties MTV stars, âDeep Down Happyâ is sarcasm central. At such an intense period with earth seemingly on the verge of an uprising, this album provides an opportunity to look at day to day life with a smile and even laugh, which feels more important now than ever before.
Louis Kerry