Go backstage with The Music and receive FREE:

  • Exclusive members-only editorial, charts
  • Our subscriber-only newsletter
  • Members only competitions to win tickets, experiences and more
  • Access to our street press archives
  • First access to our exclusive limited edition vinyl variants

Thank you for being a part of our community! Enter your email address as verification and you'll be taken backstage right away.

Please ensure that you provide a valid email address.

The Top 30 Albums Of 2020 (So Far): Sports Team - 'Deep Down Happy'

'The Music' team on the albums you need to hear from 2020.

More Sports Team Sports Team

"Sports Team have arrived to re-energise a left-for-dead genre." - Andrew Mast

For those missing ‘90s Pulp or ‘00s firecrackers Art Brut, enter Sports Team.

Very much from the school of Brindie pop bands formed at uni/college/art school (Sports Team met at Cambridge), you pretty much have decided if you like them or not from knowing that alone.

Sports Team have arrived to re-energise a left-for-dead genre. Deep Down Happy is snappy, smart and catchy as fuck. The lyrics ponder all things UK suburbia and those thoughts are delivered with a shouty charm that’s hard to resist.

Besides, the anger expressed in single Here’s The Thing (“it’s all just lies lies lies”) pretty much sums up 2020.