Arriving a few months later than first planned, Like Nirvana sees Cub Sport delivering one of their most exciting and accomplished records to date.
On their fourth longplayer, the Brisbane band confronts both society’s need to do better when it comes to fluid sexuality and gender, and the anxiety and comfort of emotional connection. Lead single “Confessions” reveals Tim Nelson as one of this generation’s most gifted songwriters.
The track’s hushed tones wash over you like an ASMR bath, and its diary-like detail turns the listener into a privileged wallflower, as if we’re witnessing the first ever recording of the pop masterpiece.
Other album highlights include the Phil Collins homage in one drum part of “Be Your Man”, and the striking detail of “Grand Canyon” which bolsters the narrative of a slow burning self-and-marital-love story. “Break Me Down” featuring fellow Brisbane artist Mallrat, recalls the nuanced arrangements of 2019s self-titled LP, but the vocals this time are imperious and glittering.
Cub Sport’s defining aesthetic is their ability to confound categorisation. A horde of hopefuls will find solace within Like Nirvana, yet the hopeless will feel heard, and lovers of pop will obsess over its hooks and Eighties reinvention.
Like Nirvana, while lovingly pieced together, has a sense of urgency about it. Cub Sport had to write this collection of songs in the same way humans must breathe to live. The record is weaved with the feeling that had it not been created, Cub Sport’s dishonesty would see their souls starve.
In a world where generational ennui is the norm, the sliding window that music fans look through is changing, and Cub Sport have well and truly entered the frame.
Cub Sport’s Like Nirvana is out now via Cub Sport Records/Believe. The group will also be launching the new record with a socially-distanced event in their hometown of Brisbane tomorrow afternoon. Head along to their social media for more details.
