SPORTS

Sports have come full circle. The Oklahoma band hinges on the friendship between Christian Theriot and Cale Chronister, two musicians who met as kids and instinctively bonded. Finding mammoth viral success, they’ve released three acclaimed albums, each one distilling their indie pop elixir. With their new record, the band have gone back to their roots – self-produced, self-recorded, and self-titled, it’s the sound of people with an incredible bond, making the music that thrills them.

Small town heroes who are taking on the world, Sports credit their Tulsa upbringing as fostering their mindset. A world apart from the bright lights of Los Angeles or New York, the band had to work hard to make their mark. “The odds of us meeting, having the same interests, forming a band, and making it out to have a career… it’s like, how did that happen?” Christian marvels. Sports struck gold first time out, with early single ‘You Are The Right One’ becoming a generational indie pop anthem. Nudging 180 million streams on Spotify alone, the track has become their hallmark, a fan favourite and also an economic support structure. “I think what’s kept us going is that we just haven’t stopped,” says Cale. “We keep moving, we keep putting out music.”

After three albums working with Chad Copelin, Sports decided to take the reins themselves. Opting to self-produce, the band found a space in their Tulsa hometown, a studio HQ they could call their own. “We’d been through the same experience with all our records,” Christian says, “where the producer would hold our hand. But we wanted a different challenge this time.” Building the studio from scratch, the band fell in love with the Astroturf at a local sports pitch – and installed it as carpet. “We just kind of got obsessed with it!” Cale laughs. “It’s so nice to walk into a studio and see grass. It may have been fake, but we were touching grass every day!”

Arriving 10 years on from their breakout moment, the Oklahoma group have found a way to be respectful to their past, while embracing the future. “It’s kind of surreal to have that number ten associated with the band,” Christian laughs. “It’s hard to think about the weight of it… it makes me feel old, I guess.” It all comes down to the core friendship between Christian and Cale, and the boundless possibilities they find within one another. “We’ve known each other since middle school,” Cale reflects. “And we’re still doing it. To me, we’re just getting started.”