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Ten years on from their breakout moment, Sports have released their self-titled LP (out now). Old schoolmates Christian and Cale meld the electronic and the dreamy, crafting a pop sound that’s as clean as it is emotive. The Oklahoma duo’s latest album is self-produced, having worked with Chad Copelin for their last three efforts. I asked Sports ten questions to see how they’ve thrived in this new independence.

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THE ARGUS FAR FIVE

How would you describe the sound of Sports?

Christian:

We’ve been called Dream Pop. I like the idea of that because I don’t think of us as pop stars, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t dreamt about being a pop star! But in all seriousness, I like the visual world Dream Pop portrays. So yeah the sound of Sports is Dream Pop 

Cale:

Or like melted candy.

What are your biggest non-music influences?

Christian:

Without oversimplifying it for me, it’s just living life. Everyday things start to become influences whether I’m conscious of it or not. Movies, seasons changing, getting older, hanging with friends and family. It all seeps in and becomes a point of reference to be inspired by. 

Cale:

I get a lot out of books. Sometimes, I steal lines from them. Or maybe it’s a memoir or something that really motivates me. 

If you had to cover any song and put a Sports spin on it, which would you choose?

We have a version of Coconut Record’s ‘West Coast’ that maybe we’ll put out someday. 

What is your earliest memory of music?

Christian:

I had the Surge (sodapop that was like a Mountain Dew competitor) compilation CD that had a bunch of tracks on it, but track one was ‘Song 2’ by Blur. I don’t know if this is my earliest memory but one of the first times I felt obsessive about music. 

Cale:

A lot of 90s/early 2000s country radio in the car on road trips. A LOT.

What does 2026 have in store for Sports?

Christian:

Our album comes out and then we hit the road for a massive world tour. We haven’t toured since the covid era so I’m looking forward to playing shows again. Also stoked to be playing in the UK/ Europe for the first time. It’s about time! 

Cale:

Maybe make some more music, too.

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THE SPORTS FIVE

You’ve fitted your studio with Astroturf. Do you have any other decorations/alterations you’d want put in there?

Christian:

On the theme of nature, I started buying fresh flowers. Really underestimated what it’s like having alive things in the studio. It really does brighten up the space and the mental! 

What was the biggest change/difficulty you noticed with self-producing one of your LPs for the first time?

Christian:

Knowing that the song is done. This time around we didn’t have a producer to run it through, so we had to be the ones to trust that it’s finished and it sounds awesome. 

Cale:

A lot of self-trust was gained. 

Why did you choose monochromatic visuals for this album?

Christian:

The visuals for our last project were much more maximalist, so the idea to strip that back almost to an absurd length and see if we could still create a compelling world was exciting. It also allowed the music to be front and center.

Cale:

Throughout the process, we kept saying it felt like we were making our first album, because of all the changes we’d been through as a band. And I think the black and white film makes me think of old movies or something. So our visuals look older than our other albums, in a way. Therefore, it’s our first album.

‘Stay Mad’ feels like a very personal song. How do you navigate turning an experience into sonics for a song without diluting the unique emotion you felt at the time?

Cale:

For this one, it just all fell out at once. It was very clear to me what the story was from the beginning. When I first wrote it, it was very stripped back, and then I made a more dancey version of it. But it had to have different verse lyrics, because there was a different melody. And the whole story just kind of got lost. So Christian and I started working more toward the original demo’s feel and attitude and it just all fit way better.

You’re touring the UK later this year. What is your favourite British thing?

Christian:

I visited the UK 2 years ago, and the thing I found most striking was the lighting. No harsh LED’s. Every street was like 1000k which is just so warm and cozy. I’m jealous. 

Cale:

The British version of ‘COPS’, whatever that’s called. We watched it when we were there, and the cops were being so nice. It was mostly just them helping super drunk people get home safe. Not as problematic seeming as the American version.

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