''Like Nirvana'' is the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Australian pop group

Cub Sport Cub Sport are an Australian pop group formed in Brisbane in early 2010. Founding mainstays are Zoe Davis on keyboards, bass guitar, lead guitar and vocals, Tim Nelson on lead vocals and keyboards, Sam "Bolan" Netterfield on keyboards and vocal ...

. The album was announced on 4 March 2020, alongside the album's lead single "Confessions". The album was due for release 8 May 2020, but was delayed until 24 July 2020. In an open letter to ''The Music'', Cub Sport's Tim Nelson said ''Like Nirvana'' is an uplifting release that doesn't shy away from the shadows, "it embraces both the light and dark with warmth."

Critical reception

Annabel Ross of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' praised the album as "their most stunning LP yet" and stated: "stadium-sized glory might be painfully out of reach right now, for reasons beyond their control – but on 'Like Nirvana', Cub Sport make a compelling case for post-

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superstardom." Ross additionally stated " he chorus of"Confessions" channels

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

and

Frank Ocean Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...

", and "is the first of many instances where vocal effects lend modern, raw tones to the record's ecclesiastical mood." Guido Farnell of ''The Music AU'' said "This album captures some of Tim Nelson's most vulnerable moments. Elegantly understated and, for the most part, supremely chill, Cub Sport have stripped back the synth-pop hooks to create mellow clouds of sound intended to provide a little comfort and succour." Poppy Reid of ''

Rolling Stone Australia ''Rolling Stone Australia'' is the Australian edition of the United States' ''Rolling Stone'' magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture, published monthly. The Australian version of ''Rolling Stone'' was initially published in 197 ...

'' said "Cub Sport's defining aesthetic is their ability to confound categorisation. A horde of hopefuls will find solace within ''Like Nirvana'', yet the hopeless will feel heard, and lovers of pop will obsess over its hooks and eighties reinvention." Reid said the highlights are "Confessions", "Be Your Man", "Grand Canyon" and "Break Me Down". Eleanor Pettipher of ''Fortitude Magazine'' gave the album 10/10 saying "''Like Nirvana'' feels like a giant leap away from the Cub Sport of '' This Is Our Vice'' (2016) and ''

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'' (2017), not to say that they've lost what makes them them, only they've honed it further and carved out their own undoubted niche. Tim Nelson came out publicly as gay in 2017 and this album above all others has become the platform for Cub Sport to express their LGBTQ+ pride and spread the themes of self-love and acceptance." Pettipher added "If 2020 needs anything right now it's ''Like Nirvana'' so we can transcend out of the fog and into the rays of the sun." Emily Harrison from ''The Up Coming'' said "Deep and abstract, ''Like Nirvana'' is a glimpse into Nelson's soul in a way that makes you feel both deeply empathetic and empowered." calling it "an album for this generation."

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2020 albums Albums postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Cub Sport albums Self-released albums