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London-based six-piece Sports Team managed to generate excitement from their inception. Packing shows as students at Cambridge University, they quickly drew the interest of indie labels like Nice Swan with their muscular guitar hooks and point-blank, chant-along choruses about class division, demagogues, friends who change, friends who won't, and actor Ashton Kutcher. Arriving on Island Records following a couple years' worth of independently released singles and EPs, their debut album, Deep Down Happy, delivers on the hype. Demanding attention from the start, simultaneous crashing drums, wailing guitar, and a yell (by guitarist Robb Knaggs) open "Lander," a frustrated rant about needing a job and maybe becoming a doctor or a lawyer -- "So, arthritis probably doesn't matter a lot/I've been thinking a little bit about that sort of thing." Alternating a raised voice over chugging, melodic guitars and bass with quieter passages that keep the syncopated rock groove going, the song's instruments carry rambling thoughts through to inevitable death ("wearing your nicest clothes"). There's no letdown from there, with the sleeker, spikier "Here It Comes Again" blowing by in two-and-a-quarter minutes. It's the second of 12 tracks in all that average three minutes apiece. Ear-snagging intros are another feature here, most notably on "Feels Like Fun," whose simple, two-chord dissonance makes it identifiable within seconds. A highlight among potential radio anthems is "Here's the Thing," an irresistibly catchy, takes-no-prisoners diatribe against the establishment: "If your parents worked to earn it then it's yours/(Here's the thing) And If you're barely getting by then that's your fault/(Here's the thing) Everything in life is fair and that's the rules/It's all just lies, lies, lies, lies...." Despite aggravated lyrics like these, the tone of Deep Down Happy is irreverent and fun, with rhymes like "friends" and "Thames" and "Thumblands" and "old bands," and lead singer Alex Rice's implied raised eyebrow keeping things in a playful zone. The album's length is just about right, going by in an efficient 36 minutes but feeling satisfying at the end, and while fans are bound to pick favorites, there's not a real dud in the bunch.
© Marcy Donelson /TiVo
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Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alex Davies, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Sports Team, MainArtist - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Alexandra Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
Chris Gehringer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Sports Team, MainArtist - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Alexandra Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2019 Universal Music Operations Limited
Al Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oli Dewdney, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sports Team, MainArtist - Ben Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Alex Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, ComposerLyricist - Alexandra Greenwood, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Sports Team, MainArtist - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Alexandra Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
Al Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oli Dewdney, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Sports Team, MainArtist - Ben Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, ComposerLyricist - Alexandra Greenwood, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
Al Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oli Dewdney, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sports Team, MainArtist - Ben Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Alex Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, ComposerLyricist - Alexandra Greenwood, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
Al Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oli Dewdney, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sports Team, MainArtist - Ben Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Alex Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, ComposerLyricist - Alexandra Greenwood, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, Theremin, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Tuffy, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sports Team, MainArtist - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, Organ, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Alexandra Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2019 Universal Music Operations Limited
Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Sports Team, MainArtist - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Alexandra Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Sports Team, MainArtist - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Alexandra Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, Keyboards, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2019 Universal Music Operations Limited
Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Sports Team, MainArtist - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Alexandra Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2018 Universal Music Operations Limited
Al Greenwood, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Robin Schmidt, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Burke Reid, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Henry Young, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oli Dewdney, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sports Team, MainArtist - Ben Mack, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Alex Rice, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Robert Knaggs, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Oliver Dewdney, ComposerLyricist - Alexandra Greenwood, ComposerLyricist - Alexander Rice, ComposerLyricist - Benjamin Mack, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
Album review
London-based six-piece Sports Team managed to generate excitement from their inception. Packing shows as students at Cambridge University, they quickly drew the interest of indie labels like Nice Swan with their muscular guitar hooks and point-blank, chant-along choruses about class division, demagogues, friends who change, friends who won't, and actor Ashton Kutcher. Arriving on Island Records following a couple years' worth of independently released singles and EPs, their debut album, Deep Down Happy, delivers on the hype. Demanding attention from the start, simultaneous crashing drums, wailing guitar, and a yell (by guitarist Robb Knaggs) open "Lander," a frustrated rant about needing a job and maybe becoming a doctor or a lawyer -- "So, arthritis probably doesn't matter a lot/I've been thinking a little bit about that sort of thing." Alternating a raised voice over chugging, melodic guitars and bass with quieter passages that keep the syncopated rock groove going, the song's instruments carry rambling thoughts through to inevitable death ("wearing your nicest clothes"). There's no letdown from there, with the sleeker, spikier "Here It Comes Again" blowing by in two-and-a-quarter minutes. It's the second of 12 tracks in all that average three minutes apiece. Ear-snagging intros are another feature here, most notably on "Feels Like Fun," whose simple, two-chord dissonance makes it identifiable within seconds. A highlight among potential radio anthems is "Here's the Thing," an irresistibly catchy, takes-no-prisoners diatribe against the establishment: "If your parents worked to earn it then it's yours/(Here's the thing) And If you're barely getting by then that's your fault/(Here's the thing) Everything in life is fair and that's the rules/It's all just lies, lies, lies, lies...." Despite aggravated lyrics like these, the tone of Deep Down Happy is irreverent and fun, with rhymes like "friends" and "Thames" and "Thumblands" and "old bands," and lead singer Alex Rice's implied raised eyebrow keeping things in a playful zone. The album's length is just about right, going by in an efficient 36 minutes but feeling satisfying at the end, and while fans are bound to pick favorites, there's not a real dud in the bunch.
© Marcy Donelson /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:36:34
- Main artists: Sports Team
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Universal-Island Records Ltd.
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
© 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited ℗ 2020 Universal Music Operations Limited
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