7.5/10
Favorite Track: "The Look" Least Favorite Track: "Never Know"
In terms of bands who capture the essence of joy and amusement through their music, the group Sports is an evident choice. Members Cale Chronister, Jacob Theriot, and Christian Theriot have taken the genres of pop, funk, soul, R&B, and disco, incorporated them with elements of psychedelic euphoria, and have created sensationally groovy and pleasant tracks for a groove-hungry fanbase. Their 2015 debut Naked All The Time is the perfect summer time soundtrack, depicting a scene in an 80’s movie where young teenagers are lounging by a pool as floaties are scattered around the crystal blue water and sun rays reflect off of sunglasses. The opener, and debut single from the group all together, “You Are The Right One”, utilizes bouncing bass lines, honey-like guitar lines, perfectly suppressed vocals, and warm synthesizer frequencies to showcase the bands commitment to easy-listening, almost magical music that is able to pull you out of any crummy mood you may be in. The next two releases, being 2016’s People Can’t Stop Chillin and 2018’s Everyone’s Invited, continued the trend of inviting and captivating music for listeners to throw on and just groove too. As much as we needed them during the depressing episodes of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wait was finally answered in 2021, where funky grooves and more serious than ever lyrics from Get A Good Look, Pt. 1 took the stage and ushered in a new aura of positivity and hope for overly eager listeners.
Get A Good Look, Pt.1 opens with the enigmatic “Call Me Anytime,” which is lyrically, the most bland song across the whole project, repeating “Call me/Call me/Call me/Call me anytime” again and again. Nevertheless, the song has great build, not so much in dynamics, but in instrumentalism. An electric guitar line, stable bass line, and a tight drum groove slowly creep in from nothing to launch the sensual vibe, adding in some sparse, quiet organ chords and well-placed synthesizer runs. As it plays on, more instrumental moments are added, including some clavinet work, an intriguing change in the bass line, and some almost trumpet-sounding guitar work for the last minute of the song. Based on what follows, “Call Me Anytime” is the perfect opener. The next track “The Look” is unapologetically funky, and quite the contrast from the mystifying tone of “Call Me Anytime.” If you were to translate these two songs to a certain theatrical spectacle, “Call Me Anytime” would be played as a character wistfully wanders a dark road waiting for that special someone to call them, suddenly changing to a more upbeat, bustling urban setting when that funky bass line from “The Look” uplifts the protagonists’ melancholic demeanor to a more confident stature. “Hey man, it’s time to leave/You don’t wanna waste your energy” is crooned over an energetic drum beat and playful synthesizers. Right before the chorus, the group drops the bass and comping instruments, stacking some vocal harmonies before exploding into the main line, “Don’t you know you got the look?” An aura of confidence and immaculate vibes is all but guaranteed from this song.
The following track “Baby Baby” grounds us once again. Here, Sports, or better yet, lead singer Cale Chronister, dives into the problem of not being able to comfort someone you love while also trying to comfort yourself. Therefore, he wants his significant other to “tell me that you’ll be alright” so he can develop his vulnerability into a deeper love. Despite the song’s overall heavy message, that classic Sports groove is still electrifying, as synthesizers flash in and out, psychedelic guitar strumming plagues the choruses, and the drums and bass lock into a tight, R&B groove. “Never Know” builds off that emotional instability. An earworm chorus that repeats “And I try, and I try, and I try” expresses the closed-off attitude that the band has towards their relationships in life, and how it ultimately affects their trajectory. Instrumentally, it is the weakest track on the project, being a little too repetitive, with each verse stripping away instruments and each chorus adding them back in. However, it still highlights Sports’ irrefutable devotion to groove, as a thick bass line and sparkly synthesizers create an atmospheric sensation heard especially well in the chorus. The following track “Tell You Something” is eerily close to Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know The Better,” which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but is odd when you consider how similar the two groups are to each other’s signature sound. “Tell You Something” also builds on themes of struggling to communicate, with Chronister’s lyrics showing his desire to finally work with someone on his poor communication skills and closed off personality. During the bridge is where we see him conquer these demons, with the tight funky instrumental being marked down to accentuate how “I’ll back it up now” after he asks himself “How did I mess this up?” To end Get A Good Look, Pt. 1, Sports presents an assertive conclusion with “Don’t Get Me Started.” Set to powerful, low synths, suppressed piano hits, 80’s sounding strings, and some groovy bass and drums, the group voice their frustrations with those who have taken advantage of them and how they will not stand for it anymore. “Don’t get me started, don’t get me started with you/Take it how you want it, say you’ve got somewhere to be” shows their preference for honesty over compromise. The last minute of the song features an incredible instrumental moment where the music fades to an almost suppressed sounding tone and then is slowly brought back in, increasing dynamically to a sort of cliffhanger moment that leaves listeners wondering for what part 2 of the Get A Good Look series will bring.
From production to lyricism to instrumentalism, Get A Good Look, Pt.1 shines through as one of the most interesting releases of 2021 so far. Being one of their most instrumentally funky and lyrically sincere projects to date, it is truly interesting to see the direction the group is taking while keeping that commitment to easy-going music for people to enjoy in any instance. The revitalization of their genre-blending sound will always be welcomed, regardless if their projects need a certain artistic edge. That being said, we can only wonder what the second installment of Get A Good Look will bring us: will it be more of that groovy goodness that Sports is known for, or will they take a whole new approach, aided by that outward frustration felt in the closing song?