Sports Team ‘Gulp!’ review: indie rockers aim for the big leagues
On their second album, Sports Team aim to cement their eternal place in indie discos
Everything about Sports Team is tailored to their live show, which is why it was especially cruel when the six-piece had to release long-awaited debut album Deep Down Happy in the middle of lockdown. When it did finally reach live audiences, the band began to gain momentum, and they greet the world with follow-up Gulp! as one of the hottest new British indie bands.
Sports Team have set their sights on becoming the biggest band on the planet, and this ambition is
on full show across this album of intoxicating, large-scale melodies, all fronted by exuberant frontman, Alex Rice. Although they take their cues from Stateside indie rock staples Parquet Courts and Pavement, lyrically, they mine unfashionable British minutiae to make your youth spent in the local Slug & Lettuce feel romantic and important. Opener ‘The Game’ deserves to have a permanent place in indie discos of the future, while Sorry vocalist Asha Lorenz gives ‘Cool It Kid’ a creepy edge.
Through the raucous ‘R Entertainment’, jangly ‘Getting Better’ and punky ‘Fingers’, there’s plenty on show to ensure that Sports Team’s remarkable rise won’t stop here.