Sports Team may have grabbed headlines after being robbed at gunpoint during their 2024 U.S. tour, but the incident is just one chaotic chapter in the story of a band that thrives on disruption.
The six-piece have long been unapologetically outspoken — mocking their more self-serious peers and taking aim at the performative nostalgia of musicians who “act like The Strokes” without earning the lifestyle.
“There’s probably a moment in history where that did reflect what was going on,” they’ve said, “but nowadays, it’s just cosplay.” For Sports Team, posturing is out. Passion and relevance are in.
That spirit surges through Boys These Days — their third and arguably most accessible album yet. It’s a record built for a generation that feels shortchanged by adulthood. “You’re probably not gonna be able to buy a house by the time you’re 30… start a family or whatever,” they say of their audience. “You feel like you’ve drifted, like you’ve lost a stage.”
Opening track “I’m in Love (Subaru)” sets the tone, name-checking the iconic car and backing it with cheesy pop flourishes and fizzy ‘80s synths. It’s ridiculous, self-aware, and infectiously fun — all hallmarks of the album. Follow-up track “Bang Bang Bang” leans into danceable chaos with a dose of punk-folk energy reminiscent of Skinny Lister.
“Sensible” introduces harmonica and a cheeky mix of Crocodile Rock and Rat Trap, pairing retro-pop flair with lyrics exploring sexual experimentation. Meanwhile, “Moving Together” goes further still, dripping with innuendo: “Unzip my skin / I watch the whole world crawling in.” It’s a twisted love song that channels the swagger of “Brown Sugar” while offering a distinctly 2020s take.
Yet Boys These Days isn’t all mischief and muscle. There’s emotional depth here, too. “Condensation” laments a generation numbed by crisis — “The bed’s on fire and they go to sleep” — while “Planned Obsolescence” critiques a culture sleepwalking into decay. These tracks aren’t preachy; they’re observational and unnervingly accurate.
The album closes with “Maybe When We’re Thirty,” a love song that’s both biting and tender. Lines like “Maybe we could buy a house and have a kid and share Daily Mail stories about David Beckham’s kids…” are painfully of-the-moment, capturing modern romance in all its disillusioned charm. It’s not “Don’t Know Much,” and that’s the point.
The album’s musical influences are worn proudly on its sleeve — you’ll hear echoes of glam rock, new wave, and Britpop — but Sports Team’s lyrics and energy are unmistakably now. They’ve traded their indie-rock roots for something poppier and more expansive, but not at the expense of authenticity.
With Boys These Days, Sports Team deliver a sharp, funny, and sometimes sobering soundtrack to young adulthood in freefall. Switching labels from Island to Distiller and shaking off genre expectations, they’ve proved they’re not just evolving — they’re leading the charge.
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