Q&A: Inhaling Tenderness and Exhaling Effervescence, Cub Sport Releases “Keep Me Safe”
NTRODUCING SOFTNESS TO THEIR ENERGETIC ENDEAVOR — Cub Sport’s latest single, “Keep Me Safe,” is a gentle postcard to a past self, reclaiming the stressful and complex beginning of band members Tim Nelson and Sam Netterfield’s teenage romance. The track is the third taster from the band’s upcoming album, Jesus At The Gay Bar, out April 7, placing the liveliness and vivacity of the previous two singles atop a bed of warmth and love.
Beginning with a serene and gentle ballad, the track slowly builds into the lively house tunes reminiscent of the band’s previous two releases. Atop the warm melody lays an angelic mixture of smooth, ethereal vocals that explore the secrets, feelings, and liberation that sat in the early days of Nelson and Netterfield’s love.
Accompanying the release of “Keep Me Safe” is a blue-tinged beauty of a visualiser. Dotted throughout the video are nods to time past — cassette tapes, old cars, and shifts in the quality of the footage — making evident the track’s nostalgic essence. Alongside this, the video emphasizes the song’s focus on the privacy necessary for a relationship to blossom, as it visualizes the couple in a range of secluded places: in cars, behind windows, and underwater.
In 2023, Cub Sport are embarking on an animated year full of spirit and vigor, with a vibrant upcoming album and a UK tour to bring it to life. Read below as Cub Sport’s Tim Nelson chats about the band’s upcoming album, the creative process behind “Keep Me Safe,” and what the track means to him.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of “Keep Me Safe” and its music video! How has working on previous music videos informed the creation of this one?
NELSON: Thank you so much! We’ve worked with DOP Jack Birtles on all of the music videos for this album, and I think the more we work together the better we get at it. It’s about always pushing forwards and evolving.
LUNA: What was the creative process behind the music video like?
NELSON: I had a visual moodboard and a strong sense of how I wanted the video to feel. The song is about the secret beginnings of Sam’s and my relationship so I wanted to tell that story. I took visual cues from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet — it’s such a beautiful film and I think the whole idea of pursuing forbidden love and leaning into a sense of surrealism felt like the right direction for “Keep Me Safe.”
It was meeting and collaborating with Berlin-based director Adam Munnings that brought all those swirling ideas together and breathed life into the video. Within a week of meeting, we shot the music video over two evenings. It’s one of the most ambitious shoots we’ve undertaken but was so much fun. I love how the video captures the softness of the song as well as the more ravey energy in the choruses — it’s a whole journey.
LUNA: The track explores a sense of secrecy and shame that surrounded a relationship. Is there anything in particular that drove you to write about this experience?
NELSON: Yeah, those things were kind of the backdrop for the start of our relationship, but on the inside it was the most free and happy I’d ever felt so I wanted to capture the light and beauty within it too. In the studio, there was something about the chords and synth sounds that felt so nostalgic and I was carried back to that time. I think singing openly about it and capturing the magic of that period in our lives is really special ’cause at the time I didn’t feel like I could really share that with anyone.
LUNA: How are you feeling about sharing such a personal experience with the world? Would you say it’s quite scary, or rather comforting?
NELSON: I think even a few years ago I would’ve been pretty scared to share this. There are details in the lyrics I’ve never really divulged to anyone before, but I feel good sharing it now. I hope it can validate anyone else who’s experiencing anything similar.
LUNA: What advice would you give to anyone going through a similar experience to that in “Keep Me Safe”?
NELSON: I think I’d say let yourself be who you are even if you can’t share that with everybody yet. Try not to take on too much guilt about keeping a secret if that’s what you have to do to feel safe, but at the same time try to avoid hurting people — it’s complicated. Know that even if it’s hard at the moment, it’s not gonna be like that forever — there will come a day when you’re ready to share that part of you with more people. It’s even more complicated when one person is ready and the other isn’t. I don’t really have any advice in that scenario other than trust your gut/heart.
LUNA: This track is from your upcoming album. How would you compare the feel of “Keep Me Safe” to the rest of the album’s songs?
NELSON: I think “Keep Me Safe” represents the beauty and warmth of the album overall. I’d say it’s one of the more tender moments. There are some more straight-up big dance tracks, but “Keep Me Safe” does still have this energizing/uplifting energy that carries throughout most of the album.
LUNA: How has Cub Sport’s hiatus from releasing music impacted the creation of your upcoming album?
NELSON: This is the longest I’ve spent working on one album and I think you’ll be able to hear how much of a level-up it is. I ended up writing 100+ songs across a bunch of different genres and managed to distill that down to 10 songs that feel like they represent the future of Cub Sport and capture a special balance between heart, emotion, and lightness.
LUNA: What keeps your creativity alive?
NELSON: It probably sounds a bit cliche but creative endeavors are a way for me to process things in my life, and making something I love is the best feeling ever so I think I’m always chasing that. Experimentation and collaboration have led to lots of my favorite moments on the album, too! Having a couple of years without touring meant I had more time to meet and work with new producers and writers, like Styalz Fuego, Nat Dunn, and Simon Lam — that really opened me up to new musical possibilities!
LUNA: What aspect of your listeners’ lives do you feel Cub Sport’s music would best soundtrack?
NELSON: I really think this new album belongs everywhere! Partying with friends for sure, but also lying in bed listening on headphones, going for a walk, road trips, hanging out at the beach, in the Uber on your way out, dinner parties, doing house work, going to the gym… everywhere!
LUNA: You recently announced a UK tour! Which of your tracks are you most looking forward to performing, and why?
NELSON: Yes, I’m so excited! There’s a song on the album called “Songs About It” and it’s like a house-piano dance track. We debuted it at Lost Paradise festival in Australia over New Year’s and the energy performing that song was something brand new for us, like pure euphoria. I think that one’s gonna end up being a fav in the live show for sure!
LUNA: Do you have any goals in mind, creative or personal, that you’re hoping to achieve throughout 2023?
NELSON: I wanna try to take everything a little bit less seriously. I wanna be fully open to experiencing the magic of life while it’s happening rather than looking back on pics in my phone and being like, “Damn, that period in my life was so fun, I wish I realized that more at the time.” Creatively, the goal is to take the live show to new heights. There’s so much energy in this record that I can’t wait to bring to the stage.
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