Get To Know Get To Know… Sports
Returning with new single ‘The Look’, get to know the Oklahoma duo.
Hello and welcome to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… getting you a little bit closer to the buzziest new acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.
Recently we’ve met alt-R&B star emir taha, Compton-born artist Channel Tres, vibey newbies NewDad, Dhaka-born Dameer, and now we’re hopping across the pond to introduce you to Oklahoma duo Sports.
Returning with new single ‘The Look’ today, the band say of their synth-infused new bop, “‘The Look’ was inspired by a comment a stranger made to me while I was out eating lunch. He interrupted me and asked who my agent was, assuming that I was a model. And then wanted to help represent me. I just kind of laughed because it seemed like such an LA cliche. But he was serious and told me ‘You’ve got the look of the moment.’ The verses of the song were inspired by playing a show, like what goes on before Sports shows. Trying to cash in drink tickets, getting nervous. And also a story my dad told me about someone on LSD he saw jump out of a window because he thought he could fly. I don’t know if it’s a true story or if he was just trying to tell me not to do drugs. I don’t why, but for me it all connects. The verses are the green rooms, the unhealthy habits, the anxiety. The chorus is the stage. The stage is the drug.”
The latest taste of their forthcoming new EP ‘Get A Good Look Pt. 1’, due 12th Feb, we sent them over some qs to get to know them a lil’ better.
Describe your music to us in the form of a Tinder bio.
Cale: “hear for some ear.”
Christian: What Cale said…
What’s your earliest musical memory?
Cale: My older cousins brought their guitars and amps to a Christmas gathering and let me play. I didn’t know how to play but I was so enamored by the distortion. I just loved sitting there strumming the open strings. I was probably 8 years old. I think he had a red SG covered in stickers. He had a lip ring. My first exposure to non-conformity and I fell in love with that.
Christian: Drumming on the back of a yellow plastic playskool chair with bic pens while watching a Fleetwood Mac concert. I guess I was hitting pretty hard because the pens exploded all over me. Ink was everywhere.
Who were some artists that inspired you when you were just starting out (and why)?
Cale: In high school I pretty much only listened to Radiohead. A good amount of Animal Collective, Phoenix, Gorillaz, Arcade Fire, too. I honestly can’t act too cool and not mention Coldplay… But when we started Sports, we just listened to older music. Fleetwood Mac - ‘Tango In The Night’ was referenced like a thousand times when we were making ‘Naked All The Time’. Still one of my favs.
Christian: I don’t have anyone particular but a lot of what I was inspired by was influenced by social media, which at the time was Myspace. If you had cool band photos and were touring then you were living the dream in my junior high eyes.
You’re from Oklahoma! What do you think of the music scene there at the moment?
Cale: There are so many great artists from Oklahoma. I can’t wait for live music to come back. I really enjoyed the honky tonk scene here in Tulsa. I’m so proud to be from here. I think it’s a great place to be a musician. There’s a good community, and housing is so affordable. We grew up having access to studios, practice spaces, venues where we could just headline our own show. I’m not sure if that exists everywhere or not, but I don’t know if I would’ve gotten the same experience in a bigger city.
Christian: It’s hard to say because of the crazy year we just had. I’d like to imagine there’s some gold sitting on some Okie kids computers that hopefully will see the light of day in 2021.
Are there any other artists breaking through at the same time that you take inspiration from?
Cale: I try not to take inspiration from peers… you know, etiquette. I wanna carve my own path, or at least believe that I am. And I’m really inspired by people who seem like they’re doing that; Kirin J Callinan, Faux Real, Mortis Studio (our visual collaborators).
Christian: Our good friend Yeek has been a huge inspiration. We toured together a couple of years ago and we both were just trying to give this whole music thing a real shot. It’s so rad to see he’s continued to just get bigger and bigger. I think he is sitting on some new stuff which I can’t wait to hear.
Who would be your dream collaborator?
Cale: Paul McCartney. Obviously so talented but also seems like he’d be really nice to me. Also, Garth Brooks would be fun. The 3 of us would have a good time.
Christian: I’ve got a couple.. Max Martin - Can you imagine a juicy Sports pop song? Brian Eno - He’s worked with so many great artists that were already great before they worked with him but felt like they needed him to continue to push the limit. I love his approach to the whole process and philosophy behind making music and art.
Musically or otherwise, what are you most looking forward to this year?
Cale: This year has already been so dark, but there are a lot of things to look forward to. I heard Fauci say that live music could come back in the fall, so I’m just really hoping that manifests. Just the vaccine rollout in general is something that I’m excited about. Having an actual president again is gonna be nice.
Christian: Mindfulness. and playing a freaking show.
If people could take away one thing from your music, what would it be?
Cale: We had a couple get engaged on stage with us right before we played ‘You Are The Right One’ a while back. It was one of the first times I realized how much our music actually means to people. And how much of an effect it can have on their lives. I didn’t think the world needed my music, but here I am making songs that people wanna get engaged to? If our music is there when people fall in love, when they’re having fun, making memories… that makes me really happy. The fact that it means anything to anybody is a win.
Christian: If people who hear our songs have any emotional reaction whether it be good or bad than I think we’ve done our part
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