Blvck Hippie share new single "Sport House" ahead of upcoming album release

News

24 May

Blvck Hippie, the Memphis-based indie-punk band, has just released their new single "Sport House" from the highly anticipated album Basketball Camp, which is set to drop on 14 June via The Record Machine.

This energetic and introspective track features a guest rap verse by A Weirdo From Memphis (AWFM), adding a unique twist to their signature sound.

Lead singer and songwriter Josh Shaw describes "Sport House" as a song about:

"survivor's guilt and allowing myself to be taken advantage of out of fear of losing people."

The band's previous single "Silent Disco" has already received praise from both fans and critics. With Basketball Camp, Blvck Hippie faces down overwhelming anxieties and insecurities through their endearingly bleary-eyed indie rock, dreamy off-kilter pop, free jazz interludes, and cathartic freakouts. This new album follows their promising debut LP If You Feel Alone at Parties.

Blvck Hippie’s mission to show Black kids they can be weird too is further exemplified in their upcoming album. Shaw’s own experience growing up as a “weird” black kid in a southern city informs much of the album's content, making it a vital listen for anyone interested in the nuances of the Black experience within the indie rock scene.

Shaw shares their vision for the album:

“I wanted to write a record that I needed to hear in high school.”

Basketball Camp addresses themes of religious trauma, childhood nostalgia, race, and self-acceptance through a mix of genres that include indie rock, free jazz, and spoken word. Tracks like "Cain & Abel Fighting" and "A Spike Lee Joint" delve into the Black experience, while "Try To Stay Lucky" offers a message of hope and self-acceptance.

The album was recorded at a home studio in Binghamton, Memphis, by the band and mixed and mastered by Greg Giorgio (PUP, The National, Death Cab for Cutie, Local Natives). Shaw reflects on the recording process: “I wanted to get back to the feeling I had recording in the back of my parent’s house out of college. We collected a bunch of mics and guitars from friends and from places I can’t disclose lol.” The experience of touring heavily in 2021 and 2022 influenced the band’s approach to this record, making it more free and experimental.

Blvck Hippie’s unique sound seamlessly transitions between twinkly Midwest emo guitars, early aughts Lower East Side indie rock, woozy chillwave, spoken word, and jazz. Each song is structured more like acts in a play, offering something delightfully unexpected at every turn. A choir of Memphis artists contributes their voices to various songs, tying the record's themes together and paying homage to the rich musical history of their hometown.

To support the release of Basketball Camp, Blvck Hippie will embark on a spring and summer tour starting this weekend. Fans can catch them live in various cities across the South, East Coast, and Midwest. The tour is set to kick off in Carbondale, IL, and will make stops in cities like Chicago, St. Paul, Davenport, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and Akron before heading to the East Coast and wrapping up in the South.

Save the date for Basketball Camp, and watch the visualiser for “Sport House”: