All of Something

"I'll pretend like I don't care and you will laugh at me" - GDP, the eighth track on All of Something

In sound and in theme, All of Something by SPORTS (all caps, all the time) reminds me of nothing more than Martha's Courting Strong, a.k.a. my 4th favourite album of last year. However, where Martha's debut album presented the band as earnest, heart-on-sleeve types, SPORTS would have you believe that they're too cool to care; every bit of this album, from its production to its length to its shrug-shoulders title to its 'random photo of some guy' cover, seems designed to paint its authors as a bunch of people who simply don't give a fuck.

They do, though, as All of Something makes quite clear on repeat listens. The album's lyrics have an achey, yearning quality that's very affecting in spite of the slacker-y sounds that surround them, and the songs - which sound trashy and lo-fi and unbothered at first - often have these amazing, awesome choruses that are as catchy as any slick 'n' shiny chart-topper. Listen to Reality TV, for example:

"Take my mind off the empty space in this heart of mine..."

It's clear from both their words and their compositions that SPORTS want to be loved just as much as Martha did when they wrote 1967, I Miss You, I'm Lonely.  All of Something is apparently to be the band's final album (which is very sad - it was only last night that I realised just how hard I'd fallen in love with these ten tracks), but don't assume for a second that they haven't poured their hearts and souls into their last recordings. It may sound at times like they're just tossing off a few tracks in the garage for old times' sake before they go their separate ways, but peek behind the mask and you'll find that All of Something is an album with as much feeling and hurt and emotion as any other you'll hear this year.

All of Something is out on Friday - get it here!