Airy yet melancholic synth arpeggios open this fantastic track from Brisbane alt-pop group Cub Sport, with the repeated painful title line “you’re my only friend…” ushering in the anthemic chorus. The overall off-kilter and slightly gloomy feeling of the song is an intentional device used to musically articulate the central themes in the lyrics. As explained by lead vocalist Tim Nelson:
“I was feeling pretty anxious when I was writing ‘Only Friend’. There were a few factors with getting everything together for the album which were leading to delays and causing a lot of feelings of insecurity. The lack of control over the situation made me feel really anxious and I felt nauseous for weeks at a time. I can’t remember exactly when things shifted but talking to the rest of the band and other friends who were living through the same sort of thing was really important. Perspective is everything.”
Treading a fine line between overt pop and arty-indie ‘Only Friend’ is a track from which you gain more and more with each listen, both in a musical sense and in the way it gives you a chance to reflect on the pertinent issues it deals with. Dripping in emotion and meaning this is a tune that most definitely warms you up for the upcoming album ‘This is Our Vice’.
Début album ‘This is Our Vice’ is out March 4th 2016 on Nettwork Music.
