Cub Sport, Jesus At The Gay Bar | Album Review 💿

Australian indie-pop collective Cub Sport shine on their fifth album, the boldly titled, authentic and honest, Jesus At The Gay Bar.

Back in 2019, I reviewed my first album by 🎙 Cub Sport (💿 Cub Sport).  It was an impressive LP by the Australian collective.  Notably, Cub Sport found lead singer 🎙 Tim Nelson being transparent about being gay.  One striking lyric that comes to mind from the song, 🎵 “Come Out”: “Yeah, I came out and I felt fucking free.”  Right on 🌈! On the band’s fifth album, the unapologetically titled 💿 Jesus At The Gay Bar, Nelson and Cub Sport are even more honest, diving into gay romance and relationships and how difficult it can be, as a gay person, to be true to self.  A tight but potent, 10-track/37-minute affair, Jesus At The Gay Bar is another fantastic addition to a growing catalog of LGBTQ+ albums.  Beyond that, it’s a great album.  P.S. – Don’t let those close-minded conservatives dissuade you into indulging into it!

“Always Got The Love”

Jesus At The Gay Bar commences with 🤩 🎵 “Always Got The Love”.  Here, a dedicated Tim Nelson professes the power of true love ❤️.  In the pre-chorus, he asserts, “I was lying when I said / I can’t love you anymore.” Ultimately, he “Always got the love when it’s me and you.” “Always Got The Love” benefits from its amorous, relatable lyrics – simple, yet telling – as well as it’s rhythmic backdrop, anchored by a slick groove and gorgeous keys 🎹.

Groove continues to be a selling point of Jesus At The Gay Bar on the second track, 🤩 🎵 “Replay”.  Once more, backdrop is ear catching, characterized by warm keys and synths, all the while anchored by a terrific beat.  The aesthetic is elegant, ethereal – quite special.  Nelson appears to recall a past love he misses, yet, does not want it back.  Among the key lyrics is “Higher without you now,” suggesting, he is in a better place without that person.  “If we stay,” he sings in the second verse, “It’s just another replay,” which definitely seems counterproductive at best.

“Ride for the summer / Get high for the summer.” WOO! On 🤩 🎵 “High For The Summer,” Cub Sport enlists 🎙 Shamir (!) of for the assist.  Cub Sport and Shamir on the same track? That’s utterly sublime!  The groove cooks once more – no cessation of rhythm!  Once more the production is colorful.  Likewise, the vocal production is intriguing too, with various vocal effects (reverb, pitch shift, etc.).  Arguably, the timbre is what stands out the most regarding the vocals.  Still, the chorus is hypnotic and the guest appearance by Shamir provides successful timbral contrast.

“I could lose it all, whatever / I just wanna die in our heaven,” Nelson delivers with heavy pitch shifted vocals in the chorus of highlight, 🤩 🎵 “Keep Me Safe.” Notably, Nelson opens up more on this single than previous tracks from Jesus At The Gay Bar.  In the first verse, he confesses, “Went and got a girlfriend / Just to throw them off track” (he’s openly gay, of course).  Eventually, he stops pretending (“Broke up with my girlfriend”) and even though there are losses for being true to self, “I don’t really feel that sad.” “I wrote ‘Keep Me Safe’ about a euphoric but complicated time,” Nelson tells Variance Magazine regarding the single, adding, “Shedding some light on it now feels like I’m validating my younger self and celebrating something I was so ashamed of at the time.” Being true to self, particularly embracing one’s sexuality is hard, but hey, it’s worked out for Nelson and his husband, bandmate 🎙 Sam Netterfield!

“Zoom” 

“Stare at pictures of you on my phone / think about you when I get home,” Nelson sings in the chorus of the touching fifth track, 🤩 🎵 “Zoom.”  He adds in a gorgeous, ripe falsetto, “I’m zooming in on photos of your face, on your eyes / I’m planning our whole lives.” Aww 🥰! Listening to this slickly produced record, the love that Tim feels for Sam is indisputable.  Clearly, he cannot get past these feelings which are authentic – incredibly genuine.  Notably, in the bridge, Nelson seems to detail how this relationship can work, one that has clearly been secret (“We could run away / Where no one knows our names / I could see you every day, see you every day”).

The love continues to consume on the groovy 🤩 🎵 “Songs About It.” “This love / Is taking me down / Getting lost in you, baby / I don’t wanna be found,” Nelson sings in the chorus.  Essentially, he is ignoring everybody and everything else because all he can think about is H-I-M.  Nelson doesn’t shy away from love – he wants to be taken down by it! What does he do to further express his feelings? “So I write songs about it.” “Songs About It” continues the excellence of Jesus At The Gay Bar, embracing dance-pop and house (🎛 Styalz Fuego produces).  Furthermore, the style of music definitely matches the soundtrack of a gay bar, where dance music/dance pop dominate.  The vocals on 🎵 “Beg U” are fascinating. There is a mix of breathiness, pitch-shifted moments, mid register, and of course, falsetto.  Quite a colorful performance.  Furthermore, “Beg U” feels like a less conventional, less predictable track – there is an experimental vibe, which is a pro.  Still, the theme and concept still surrounds a gargantuan love.  Although there seems to be pushback, as well as the proclamation, “Baby, I’m dying for you / I’m dying for both of us,” clearly the only love necessary is between these two infatuated lovers.  Is love worth dying for? That is incredibly deep!

 “Hold”

From the onset of  🎵 “Hold,” the sound is bright and exuberant to the n^th degree. There is no way you listen and don’t move some part of your body.  Despite the optimistic sound, the song itself depicts how tough it is to hold a relationship together.  A prime example on this up tempo cut occurs as Nelson sings, “And it’s not too hard / To walk away / And I’m thinking about all the good love we made / But it’s not enough to make me stay.” Food for thought!

🤩 🎵 “Yaya,” featuring 🎙 Mallrat, arrives as the penultimate cut on Jesus At The Gay Bar.  The production – Nelson, 🎛 Simon Lam, and Styalz Fuego – is exquisite.  The warm pads at the onset give chills. Furthermore, the vocal harmonies are nothing short of stunning. Additionally, “Yaya” yields some marvelous lyrical moments that are truly poetic. The crème de la crème is “You told me secrets that I didn’t want / It’s a scary letter in a pretty font.” That is what I’d characterize as a mic drop moment. 🎵 “Magic In U” concludes Jesus At The Gay Bar magically.  The groove – a constant of the LP – continues to serve up sheer excellence.  The vocals are playful, packed with personality. Lyrically, “Magic In U” isn’t deep, but it is fun and utterly infectious. The biggest takeaway of the 10^th and final track: “I can see the magic in you.” WOO!

Final Thoughts 💭 

All told, Cub Sport impress on 💿 Jesus At The Gay Bar.  As bold as the album title is (again, no doubt it’s sure to offend the most conservative/most pious 😏), not to mention the sexy album cover art 😍, the album itself is authentic, honest, and quite refined.  If you went into this LP expecting something explicit and utterly scandalous, that is NOT what Cub Sport serves up.  This album has incredible vulnerability at times. It also serves up playful, beautiful vocals, some indie-pop bops with some danceable grooves, and epic production work from start to finished.  Jesus At The Gay Bar is a winner, with no bad songs to be found.  Hallelujah 🙌!   

via GIPHY

🤩 Gems 💎: “Always Got The Love,” “Replay,” “High For The Summer,” “Keep Me Safe,” “Songs About It,” “Zoom” & “Yaya”

🎙 Cub Sport • 💿 Jesus At The Gay Bar • 🗓 4.7.23

[📷: Cub Sport]