Texas trio Bad Sports release their fourth full-length to Dirtnap and with it, push their sound into a more modern sphere of punk. Orville Neeley (guitars / vocals), Daniel Fried (bass / vocals) and Gregory Rutherford (drums) have spent over ten years together and this progression is justified. This time, the production quality is more lean and tense, giving an air that is decidedly frustrated, and more world-weary, but is still the great stripped-down classic-leaning punk band with deep power-pop vs. proto-punk undercurrents. They are not a “retro” band, however—Constant Stimulation is simply a timeless-yet-modern masterpiece. The band’s history with their Texas peers (OBN IIIs, Radioactivity, Wax Museums, VIDEO, etc) has served them well—they’ve honed themselves into being a complicated and calculating rock machine with finesse and more care taken to let Neeley’s words and voice ring out—it’s as close to “sing-singing” the band has ever come. The record broils and stews over a response to the modern world and its eroding and addling effects, kicking its lyrics out to be heard clearly. No track exemplifies this better than the title track on which Neeley sings, “I need constant stimulation in my ears and in my eyes or I don’t sleep at night…deprivation chambers only worsen my dreams.” Maybe this more spaciously spare sound is their response to that veritable constant stimulation. Welcome to the modern age.
LP $16.00
11/09/2018
CD $12.00
10/26/2018
MP3 $9.90
10/26/2018
FLAC $11.99
10/26/2018
Bad Sports return with a jaw-dropping new 12-inch! While the band hasn’t released anything in a couple of years, the individual members have been anything but idle during that time. Orville Neely continues his slow takeover of the world with rock juggernauts OBN IIIs (who have released two albums in the past two years), while Daniel Fried and Gregory Rutherford’s band Video got signed to Jack White’s label Third Man Records, and has been touring ever since. The pair have also been touring a ton as one half of Radioactivity, who released the stunning Silent Kill on Dirtnap last year. Originally conceived as a series of three singles, the band and label realized that the individual seven songs worked as one piece. Living With Secrets is another step forward for Bad Sports—moving away from both the ebullient punk/power pop of 2011’s Kings Of The Weekend and the anything-goes grimy punk of 2014’s Bras, this EP is their darkest, most powerful, and weirdest. The lyrics are bleak and desperate, but the music is more dangerously catchy than ever.
12" $13.00
08/26/2016
MP3 $5.99
08/12/2016
FLAC $6.99
08/12/2016
***Denton/Austin's BAD SPORTS are back with their third album—and second on Dirtnap! Produced by the Marked Men's MARK RYAN and JEFF BURKE, Bras is a major departure from the '77 pop/punk feel of 2011's terrific Kings of the Weekend. This time the band brings a tougher, harder-edged sound and takes on a wider variety of musical styles. While still very much in the classic vein of Texan garage/punk, Bad Sports are also bringing to mind the heyday of New York City punk. With hints of Dead Boys snarl, Dictators thump, and even some artier Lou Reed/Television leanings, this record finds the trio refining its songwriting chops and rocking harder than ever. The album's got a little bit of everything—from booming Cheap Trick style power pop to straight-up catchy garage punk to grimy proto-punk not far removed from ORVILLE’s other band OBN IIIs. And while Bras builds on the foundation of previous records, quite frankly it blows away anything else the band has done to date. Scorching tracks like "Washed Up" and "Race To The Bottom" beg to be played at obnoxiously loud volumes, while "Nothing In This World" might be the best pop song you hear this year. Elsewhere, "Get You" and "Terrible Place" manage to satisfy the fan base even as they push the band's sound to the next level. Lots of bands pay lip service to the idea of duplicating the energy of their live shows on record. Bad Sports have gone out and done it! Turn it...
LP $16.00
09/17/2013
CD $12.00
09/10/2013
MP3 $9.90
09/10/2013
FLAC $11.99
09/10/2013
***Back in print on vinyl!!! BAD SPORTS were formed in 2007 in Denton, Texas by ORVILLE NEELEY, DANIEL FRIED and GREGORY RUTHERFORD, who came from a variety of different bands in the North Texas area. Their debut self titled full length was released in late 2009 on Douchemaster Records following a string of singles, and showed the band's songwriting mature into a more refined pop territory without losing their edge. The group's energetic live shows (inclduing a show-stopping performance at Dirtnap Records' 2011 SXSW Showcase) have won over audiences across the US, as well as helped gain them notoriety as one of the best live acts in the nation. Prolific to a fault, Bad Sports members currently also play in the HIGH TENSION WIRES, OBN IIIs, the live incarnation of MIND SPIDERS, WICCANS, VIDEO and many more. Kings Of The Weekend, the band's debut for Dirtnap Records, picks up right where the last one left off, showing a penchant for highly developed pop songwriting skills mixed with the speedy garage punk/pop sound of their first LP. A great recording by MARK RYAN of The Mind Spiders/Marked Men fame really compliments the band's sound, making this one of our absolute faves of 2011, as well as the 4th LP in a row Dirtnap has released by Texas bands.
CD $12.00
08/16/2011
LP $16.00
08/30/2011
MP3 $9.90
08/16/2011
FLAC $11.99
08/16/2011
***Denton, Texas is the equivalent for Douchemaster Records of a bar you can always go into and always expect to get laid afterwards. In this case she's particularly young and hopped up on speed. If you missed the two BAD SPORTS singles from 2008, then you don't know about their major league hooks and their seemingly unchallenged quickness. Bad Sports are a three piece that features DANIEL from WAX MUSEUMS and GREG RUTHERFORD from HIGH TENSION WIRES. ORVILLE just sits around and writes most of the songs. Bad Sports are a bit more playful, but don't be surprised if this record reminds you slightly of The Reds or the first Marked Men LP.
LP $12.00
11/23/2009