Like Nirvana

Like Nirvana is the fourth studio album by Australian pop group Cub Sport. The album was announced on 4 March 2020, alongside the album's lead single "Confessions".[1][6] The album was due for release 8 May 2020, but was delayed until 24 July 2020.[2][7]

Like Nirvana
Studio album by
Cub Sport
Released24 July 2020
GenreIndie pop
Length44:44
Label
  • Cub Sport
  • Believe
Cub Sport chronology
Cub Sport
(2019)		 Like Nirvana
(2020)		 Jesus at the Gay Bar
(2023)
Singles from Like Nirvana
  1. "Confessions"
    Released: 4 March 2020[1]
  2. "Drive"
    Released: 27 March 2020[2]
  3. "I Feel Like I Am Changin'"
    Released: 29 May 2020[3]
  4. "Be Your Man"
    Released: 24 July 2020[4]
  5. "Break Me Down"
    Released: 28 August 2020[5]

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."[8]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
NME[9]
The Music AU[8]
Rolling Stone Australia[10]
Fortitude Magazine[11]
The Up Coming[12]

Annabel Ross of NME 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-pandemic superstardom."[9] Ross additionally stated "[the chorus of] "Confessions" channels Kanye West and Frank Ocean", and "is the first of many instances where vocal effects lend modern, raw tones to the record's ecclesiastical mood."[9]

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."[8]

Poppy Reid of Rolling Stone Australia 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".[10]

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 Bats (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."[11]

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."[12]

Track listing
Like Nirvana track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro" 0:45
2."Confessions"Tim Nelson3:22
3."My Dear (Can I Tell You My Greatest Fears)" 2:12
4."I Feel Like I Am Changin'"Nelson3:09
5."Drive"Nelson3:24
6."Be Your Man" 3:30
7."Break Me Down" (with Mallrat) 6:58
8."Nirvana" 1:47
9."Saint" 3:43
10."18" 4:39
11."Best Friend" 3:44
12."Be Your Angel" 3:05
13."Grand Canyon" 3:26
Total length:44:44

Charts
Chart performance for Like Nirvana
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 2

Release history
Sales chart performance for Like Nirvana
Region Date Format Label Catalogue Ref.
Australia 24 July 2020
Cub Sport / Believe CUB007CD [14][15][16]

References
  1. "Cub Sport's Tim Nelson comes out as gender 'free' ahead of new album and tour". Triple J. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  2. "Cub Sport Give Us Shimmery New Single "Drive"". Music Feeds. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  3. "Cub Sport share new single "I Feel Like I Am Changin'"". NME. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  4. "Cub Sport Questions What It Means to "Be a Man"". PaperMag. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  5. "Break Me Down - single". Apple Music. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  6. "WATCH: Cub Sport Confessions". Happy Mag. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  7. "Cub Sport Drive Forward". auspOp. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  8. Farnell, Guido (24 July 2020). "ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Cub Sport Take You On an 'Emotional Voyage' With New Record". The Music AU. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  9. Ross, Annabel (22 July 2020). "Cub Sport – 'Like Nirvana' review: an unflinching document of trauma and growth". NME. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  10. Reid, Poppy (24 July 2020). "Cub Sport Achieve Their Nirvana". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  11. Pettipher, Eleanor (24 July 2020). "Album Review: Cub Sport – Like Nirvana". Fortitude Magazine. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  12. "Cub Sport – Like Nirvana". The Up Coming. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  13. "ARIA Top 50 Albums for week of 3 August 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  14. "LIke Nirvana (CD)". JB HiFi. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  15. "Like Nirvana (LP)". JB HiFi. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  16. "Like Nirvana (DD)". Apple Music. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
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