On their forthcoming second album, Cub Sport put a personal spin on their soulful, ‘80s-influenced pop. The Australian band's members Tim Nelson and Sam Netterfield came out as gay and in a relationship last year (now, they’re engaged!), and new single “O Lord” honestly explores the anxieties of protecting that love. The FADER is premiering its colorful, soft-focus video today, featuring lashings of neon eye makeup, dewy skin, and a smoke machine working overtime. Nelson sings, among gospel-inspired harmonies, “I know you'll say that it's alright/…But there’s something in me saying that you’ll leave/ And I’m terrified” — before a surprise, Mommy-style aspect ratio flip.
Cub Sport's lead singer Nelson explained, via email: “This is the first music video we've made since Sam and I came out as gay last year, so as well as experiencing a lot of personal freedom, it feels like a creative block has been lifted. After years of being self-conscious about how I fit into gender norms and how masculine or feminine I am, I finally feel free to just be myself.
“This video challenges everything I grew up believing about masculinity, beauty and homosexuality — it's super liberating to create this video and feel free from judgment, both internally and externally. Conceptually, this video aims to capture the fragile, confusing happiness of finally getting the very thing you've always wanted most, accompanied by feelings of then having everything to lose.”
Cub Sport’s new album BATS is out on September 22. Watch the “O Lord” video above.