Oklahoma-based dream-pop duo Sports are bringing their latest material north of the border this month, with two Canadian tour dates scheduled in Toronto and Montreal.
The band will perform April 21 at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, followed by an April 22 show at Bar Le Ritz in Montreal.
The performances come as the duo, made up of Cale Chronister and Christian Theriot, continue touring in support of their recently released self-titled album, Sports, which dropped Feb. 20 via OneRPM.
The record marks the pair’s first fully self-produced project, written, recorded and produced in a studio they built from the ground up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It reflects an evolution in both sound and scope, blending experimental pop elements with more expansive and emotionally driven songwriting.
The Canadian shows are part of a broader international tour spanning the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe.
Sports recently spoke with SWOMP in a Q&A about the new album and their latest tour:
SWOMP: This is your first fully self-produced record, built from the ground up in your own Tulsa studio – how did that level of control change the way you approached songwriting compared to earlier releases?
Sports: “It gave us more time to write songs that wouldn’t necessarily make the album. More time to experiment. It was never a huge issue in the past, but when you leave town and are in someone else’s studio, you’re on their timeline. So it was nice to just be on our own timeline.”
SWOMP: There’s a noticeable shift on this album toward bigger hooks and more dynamic transitions – was that a conscious move, or did it happen naturally as you were experimenting in your own space?
Sports: “It was somewhat conscious. I knew I wanted to shift toward pop a little bit. Just because I had been listening to a lot of pop music and was falling in love with it.”
SWOMP: ‘Drama King’ feels like a statement track – what did that song unlock for you creatively when you were building the rest of the album?
Sports: “It was one of the last songs that we wrote on the album. But we really let that one fly and made it as quick as possible. I got the lyrics down the same day. It was motivating to try to keep that speed and momentum going. To just get stuff down and not overthink it.”
SWOMP: On the flip side, ‘Jelly’ leans into those pop instincts in a different way – how do you balance writing something catchy without losing that dreamy, textured identity you’ve built?
Sports: “I don’t know how to actually make pop music. It was fun to try, the whole time knowing the ‘Sportsness’ of it would likely stay intact. It’s just who we are. We don’t know how to get rid of it, nor do we want to.”
SWOMP: You’ve been making music together for over a decade now as childhood friends – how has your creative dynamic evolved, especially now that you’re producing everything yourselves?
Sports: “We’ve gotten more confident over the years. It takes a certain confidence to be able to record an album completely on your own. But we’ve learned how to trust in each other when one of us isn’t sure about something.”
SWOMP: Building your own studio from scratch is a pretty bold move – what was the biggest challenge in that process, and what’s something you can do now that you couldn’t before?
Sports: “Well, we don’t really have that studio anymore. But we’ll find a new space in time, I’m sure. Really, the answer was to be able to just fuck around all day and not necessarily get anywhere in a productive sense, but exercise that childlike spirit. Freed from the constraints of time.”
SWOMP: Your sound has always blended a lot of influences – indie pop, funk, psychedelic textures – what were you listening to while making this record that might surprise people?
Sports: “Some U2, the Achtung Baby and Pop albums specifically. Gwen Stefani. Kylie Minogue.”
SWOMP: You’re about to hit Toronto and Montreal on this tour – what stands out to you about playing in Canada compared to the U.S.?
Sports: “It’s just fun to see the vibe switch. Montreal especially feels different than the US. The Canadian stereotype of being nice is pretty accurate.”
SWOMP: For fans catching you at Lee’s Palace or Bar Le Ritz, what can they expect from this version of Sports live?
Sports: “A more electronic version of Sports than you’ve seen before.”
SWOMP: After releasing music independently for so long, what does this new chapter with the self-titled album represent for you as a band?
Sports: “It was a rebirth in some ways. But we had to do a little reset. It took us a while. Now, we plan to put music out much more frequently.”
Follow the band at https://www.listentosports.net/.
Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine