Album Review: Cub Sport - Like Nirvana

With their fourth album, Cub Sport offer up a collection of soft, dreamy pop songs about growing up, self-examination, contemplating what is supposed to come next and, of course, it is all liberally peppered with the sweetest declarations of love.

Like Nirvana is an emotional voyage of self-discovery that celebrates the joys of life. This album captures some of Tim Nelson's most vulnerable moments. Elegantly understated and, for the most part, supremely chill, Cub Sport have stripped back the synth-pop hooks to create mellow clouds of sound intended to provide a little comfort and succour. 

Introspective songs like Break Me Down, featuring Mallrat, wallow in bittersweet melancholic moods. Nelson’s angelic falsetto soars and swoops around us on songs like 18 and Grand Canyon to spellbinding effect. The distorted grit of the single Confessions is the only track that strikes a somewhat dissonant note, but it gathers momentum with driving pop melodies.

The title of this album reportedly comes from a painting by the band's friend Zach Britt which featured the words Like Nirvana, which is clearly a place that Cub Sport are journeying towards.