Australian indie-pop band Cub Sport has announced their upcoming fifth album, Jesus At The Gay Bar, along with the release of a new single, “Keep Me Safe.” The release comes after two singles from 2022, “Always Got The Love” and “Replay,” which have shown off Cub Sport’s direction for their album as one that is focused on introspective lyrics, backed by electrifying dance beats. 

“Keep Me Safe” details the undercover high school romance between the band’s lead singer Tim Nelson and keyboardist Sam Netterfield, as well as the internal confusion that followed. The single was created within the tension of this space; balancing slow ballad-like moments with pulsing house music. This dual-toned production is sure to evoke a heart-pang that is oh so familiar for many young queer relationships, with Nelson singing about falling in love in seclusion, avoiding the fear that exists outside of secrecy.

“I wrote ‘Keep Me Safe’ about a euphoric but complicated time,” says Nelson on the writing of the song. “Shedding some light on it now feels like I’m validating my younger self and celebrating the magic in something I was so ashamed of at the time.”

The single is accompanied by a music video directed by Berlin-based Adam Munnings, which visually encapsulates the pulse of first love, inspired by Baz Luhrman’s legendary Romeo + Juliet. There is a focus on this idea of protection, manifested visually through chainmail, a mattress floating in a dark pool of water, and finding an oasis while hidden inside of a carwash. Nelson and Netterfield play out the chronicle of their younger love, which has been captured in a fleeting nostalgia-soaked supercut.

Jesus At The Gay Bar, named after the Jay Hulme poem of the same title, is set to explore the tension that is set up in “Keep Me Safe,” with a blurring between intimacy and moments of grandeur, as well as referencing religious ideology in its reference to growing up queer. The album is set to release on Good Friday, April 7th, and will be a house-focused new sound for the Australian-based band.