Sports Team Reflect on American Gun Culture in Latest Single "Bang Bang Bang"
Ahead of the release of their third studio album, Boys These Days, out May 23, British alt-rock band Sports Team continues to build anticipation with their latest single, "BANG BANG BANG." Anchored by stomping percussion patterns and rich bass grooves, the smart and shocking track offers a touch of spaghetti Western influence as it reflects on the desensitization the US has endured over time regarding issues like gun violence.
The cinematic and sharp single is lush with sonics reminiscent of a neo-noir cowboy epic as lead singer Alex Rice ruminates on needing to get the fuck out of Dodge in "a car that drives." With Stones-like vocals, he recounts instances of gun violence, ranging from the senselessness of someone getting angry over getting cut in line to the Newton school shooting. The juxtaposition of vibing with the Western influences and toe-tapping chorus and then hearing a line like "Little Jimmy gets a B in Math, two shots in the head" is a pistol whip to the senses. And then, perhaps more shockingly, the track, in an effort of art imitating life, carries on with business as usual.
"BANG BANG BANG" now carries a deeper, more personal meaning after the band's harrowing experience of being robbed at gunpoint on the first day of their North American tour last month. Rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rob Knaggs shared, "We would tour America a lot, and you see the AR-15 logo used on coffee bags, hats, t-shirts, bumper stickers. There'd be racks with tourist souvenirs, a Mickey Mouse hat, pet rocks, some local landmark postcard, then an AR-15 magnet, and that's where the seed of the lyrics came from. Then, across the time we spent in America, I was fleshing the lyrics out. There was a story I saw about NRA robocalls after the Newtown shooting, and it's horrific. The immediate PR damage control machine."
He added, "I think what was most shocking was how resigned to it people seemed. You're queuing for coffee. And then you're trying to negotiate somebody waving a pistol around. The staff come and lock the doors, tell you to step away from the windows. You're thinking about barricading yourself in the toilet and they're still doing the squirty cream on the drinks."
The forthcoming record Boys These Days is a witty and insightful examination of modern life, exploring the dissonance of our social media feeds that unleash an endless cycle upon us of porn, tragedy, war, violence, sex, money, inspirational quotes, no narrative. No unifying myth. Just "the churn," as Sports Team calls it.
Watch the "Bang Bang Bang" lyric video below:
