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Sports Coach shares exclusive track I Just Really Love Nickleback

Sports Coach, aka Coach T-Bone, aka Holm., aka J Thatcher May is a muso who has this impeccable ability to grasp the mundanity* of average human life and manages to inject it with an abundance of colour and character. His signature drone, washed out guitars and tongue-in-cheek lyrics has always made Sports Coach a refreshing breath air. His persona is one of casual fun, but underneath the surface lurks a darkness that festers and rages against the apparent cheeriness. Yet isn’t that a fact of all life for all people?

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The enigmatic Sports Coach has shared his pessimistically hopeful new track I Just Really Love Nickelback exclusively here.

His last release The Ballads of Coach Lazy Eye touched on these themes quite a lot. Under his Holm. moniker May has developed a more subdued, ambient sound. Sports Coach feels like the other side to that coin. He’s irreverent, choppy and little silly, but the sincerity still shows clearly. Even though The Ballads of Coach Lazy Eye was released not even a month ago Sports Coach is not the kind of guy to one to waste time and is set to release a new album dawgs4evr. Ahead of that release Sports Coach has shared his track I Just Really Love Nickelback, which you can listen to exclusively below.

Does May really love one of the most loathed bands in the world? Possibly, he is a bit of character after all. Though it is more than likely this is just another example of his cheeky and sarcastic approach to his lyrics and song titles. The song was originally named Hymn of Death Mountain, and upon listening you would feel that is the more appropriate title. A closer listen however realises that the name change is a stroke of genius on Coach’s part. A silly one at that, but genius nonetheless.

I Just Really Love Nickelback is an uncomfortably honest look at mediocrity and self-loathing. The fast guitars and tight bass and drums may hide the fact, but it is indeed a heavy song. The sarcasm is just rife in the song title. You can really feel the eye-roll with that title, but it speaks to the larger theme of existing without truly achieving what you aspire to. Failure is damning thing, and the most bitter thing is that sometimes you can’t do much about it but grit your teeth and try will yourself to rise above the mundane.

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One thing Sports Coach does really well is his inflection with his vocals. It may be off-putting for some, but if you can get past his irregular vocal style you’ll find it really punctuates the meaning of the song. This is none the more clear in the opening lyrics “Do you know what it’s like, to lose somewhere that you thought you belonged? Creeping failure seeps into your bones as you stare over suburban lawns”. A haunting image that’s for sure, and one that is far too easy to relate to.

As the track continues to chug away there are messages of hope and encouragement. The droning repetitiveness of “Don’t be sad man” and the deep backing vocals gives I Just Really Love Nickelback and ethereal vibe, as though it is an attempt to transcend the bitterness born from the mediocrity of everyday life and once again take a shot at becoming something great. There’s a fun little sample thrown in there for good measure and to best enjoy I won’t spoil it here.

Sports Coach is playing a few dates in his native U.S of A, check out his socials for all the details. One can only hope he can one day brings his dual pessimism and hope to our sunny Aussie shores one day.

*Ed. Are you sure that’s a word?

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