More about: Cub Sport

A perfect testament to what the future holds, Cub Sport's Jesus At The Gay Bar takes on alt-dance music as freeing yet touchingly intimate tool.

Australian outfit Cub Sport have been around for a long time. A fifth album is a feat, a tricky feat though - how do you keep evolving that far down the line of your career? Well from this day on, artists should look towards Cub Sport’s Jesus At The Gay Bar for example. Since 2010, Cub Sport, was known for the sweet indie pop that Gen Z grew up with alongside the likes of The 1975 and Lana Del Rey - already considered nostalgic in the land of TikTok - and whilst they dipped their feet slightly into the wonders of electronic dance back in 2019 with their self-titled record; Jesus At The Gay Bar expands on anything you might expect from the band. Fully immersive, the ten-track project broadens horizons out to crystalline production, pulsating beats and melancholia choruses that tie in with Nelson's angelic voice. Though, delving into the tales of their coming out and the love story between Nelson and his husband Netterfield, each song breaks down the fourth wall between the artist and listener as we're given a glimpse into their real lives. 

Think a blend of the twinkling stars of Troye Sivan with the roughness of Fred Again, Cub Sport invoke a playful process of house and UK garage with what they're known and loved for. And with the opening track 'Always Got The Love', there’s no doubting why they’re top of their game. A stretching groove into the sensibilities of love and devotion of contact as they sing, "Like blazing in the sun, yeah, at the beach with your hands in my hair (With your hands in my hair) / Then riding on the highway my hand / On your thigh feels so right". 

Followed by an introspective reckoning of emotions 'Replay' & 'Keep Me Safe' embodies the early days of their relationship as they recognise the transformation of secrecy to growth. And in the time of catharsis and sense of loss within their lockdown album Like Nirvana, Cub Sport continue to long for connection and garner their identity, but now attained in the real world, as their queer self is finally seen in the comfort of others. 

Continuing in the back ends of the album, we still sit here, enjoying the rays as one. There’s something about the album that feels imbued with the sense of community, no one is alone here. Even as we run away from everyday life to the dance floor, reaching out to our counterparts, sweating through the blazing gleam of lights, Cub Sport bring it back down to reality with the closing chapter of 'Magic in U'. Offering a sense of community and belief, portrayed via the chosen lyricism of "you’re going to be alright / And I’m always on your side / I can see the magic in ya", Nelson and his band members have earned our respect. 

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More about: Cub Sport