When I saw Sports Team open for Sun Room at Webster Hall back in 2023, I wrote about how they completely stole the show. Alex Rice had the crowd from the second he stepped on stage, sprinting, flailing, throwing himself into every lyric. It was unhinged in the best way. That energy has always been a huge part of the band’s appeal—but on Boys These Days, their third album out today, they channel that same chaotic spirit into something tighter, shinier, and more ambitious.
The album was recorded in an isolated Norwegian studio with producer Matias Tellez (Girl In Red, CMAT, Gracie Abrams), and marks a big stylistic shift for the group—made up of Rice along with Rob Knaggs (guitar/lyrics), Henry Young (guitar), Al Greenwood (drums), Ben Mack (keys), and Oli Dewdney (bass). Boys These Days leans hard into polished pop sounds without losing the weird, theatrical edge that made them stand out in the first place. It’s big, stylized, and packed with saxophones. If you like the genre-jumping, referential style of The 1975, this is absolutely worth your time.
The opener “I’m In Love (Subaru)” sets the tone immediately. It’s glossy, dramatic, and completely unserious—but in a way that works. Rice leans into the crooner role, and the video only pushes it further. He’s got that effortless charisma that’s hard not to compare to Harry Styles. It’s absurd and fun and oddly sincere, which is basically the vibe of the whole record.
“Sensible” dials things back musically, with lush strings and a more introspective vocal. The video, though, is almost disarmingly chill: Rice, looking like he wandered out of a Paul Mescal casting call, walks around town in sunglasses, headphones on, flowers in hand, just vibing. It’s simple and weirdly captivating, like a rom-com protagonist in the middle of a minor existential crisis.
Sports Team’s videos in general have become an essential part of how they present themselves—funny, surreal, and always just left of center. “Condensation” features bee costumes, a rogue bathtub, and enough randomness to match the song’s surf-punk energy. “Maybe When We’re Thirty,” a dreamy duet about growing older and wondering what comes next, is styled like a home video wedding tape with fencers drifting in and out of the background. It’s bizarre and a little tender, which is kind of the band’s sweet spot. Even when the songs are sincere, there’s always something strange to undercut the sentiment—and that’s exactly what makes them so watchable.
One of the strongest songs on the album is “Bang Bang Bang,” a single that came out earlier this year. It’s dancey and dramatic with western guitars, but also makes a sharp point about gun culture in the U.S. As I wrote in our January review, it was already a pointed track—but after the band was robbed at gunpoint in California last year, it hits harder.
Even with the heavier themes, this isn’t a dark or heavy album. “Moving Together” is a disco track that lives up to its name. “Bonnie” is sultry and smooth. “Head to Space” is about ditching real life and floating off into the void, but it’s still upbeat and full of hooks. The title track “Boys These Days” brings in Springsteen-style piano and strings but still sounds like them—just more grown up.
A lot of the lyrics still deal with the same themes Sports Team has always written about—feeling alienated, unsure, disconnected. But it’s done in a way that feels more expansive now. They’re not just talking about British suburbia anymore. They’re referencing the Beckhams, Coronation Street, American gun ads, sex, politics, growing up, and burning out. There’s no central message, and that’s kind of the point.
What’s cool is that this album doesn’t feel like a total reset—it’s clearly the same band, just trying something new. They reportedly tested out a bunch of directions (including City Pop and electroclash) before landing on this sound. The final version is only ten tracks, and it doesn’t drag. It’s still witty, still chaotic, just more structured.
I’ve called Sports Team the “world’s most serious unserious band” before, and that still fits. They’re thoughtful without being pretentious. Funny without being gimmicky. And most of all, they’re a blast to watch—onstage, on video, and now across this record.
They haven’t lost the edge I saw at Webster Hall. If anything, they’ve figured out how to bottle that energy in a more intentional way. Boys These Days is a smart, weird, really fun record—and it’s going to sound incredible live this summer. If you’re lucky enough to be in the UK or Europe this fall, they’re hitting the road in October and November, and it’s the perfect chance to see this new era in action.
Boys These Days is out now.
0 comments on “Sports Team’s New Project ‘Boys These Days’ Is a Summer Album Worth Rooting For”