Denton, Texas has had a thriving punk scene for years, built largely around the willingness of people in that community to split their time between multiple musical projects. The members of Bad Sports are no exception, with guitarist-vocalist Orville Neeley fronting OBN III’s and bassist-vocalist Daniel Fried holding down the low end in Radioactivity. Together, along with drummer Gregory Rutherford, they form Bad Sports, a band that, across three albums and a smattering of 7-inches, has carved out a sweet spot of its very own in the prolific Texas scene.
Today The A.V. Club is announcing the band’s new seven song EP, Living With Secrets, and streaming the record’s title track below. Coming August 12 via Dirtnap Records, Living With Secrets is the next step in Bad Sports’ evolution, showing that it’s only getting tighter and more visceral with each new release. “Living With Secrets” is the type of song Bad Sports excels at, taking a simple declaration, placing it atop a steady backbeat, and letting Neeley and Fried harmonize until its earworm chorus is lodged firmly in your brain. Of the song, Neeley keeps his explanation brief: “Everything you need to know is in the song.” For those looking to get a taste of Bad Sports’ live show, which is no less direct, its upcoming tour dates—all of which will see Fried pulling double duty with Radioactivity—can be found below.
Bad Sports US Tour Dates (w/ Radioactivity)
June 8—Salty Nut Brewery—Huntville, AL
June 9—Betty’s—Nashville, TN
June 10—State Street Pub—Indianapolis, IN
June 11—Mahall’s—Cleveland, OH
June 12—The Black Cat—Washington D.C.
June 13—Philamoca—Philadelphia, PA
June 14—Middle East—Boston, MA
June 15—Casa del Popolo—Montreal, QB
June 16—Ottawa Explosion—Ottawa, ON
June 17—Silver Dollar—Toronto, ON
June 18—Empty Bottle—Chicago, IL
June 19—San Loo—St. Louis, MO
Bad Sports European Tour Dates (w/ Radioactivity)
Aug. 23—Valence, FR
Aug. 24 – TBC
Aug. 25—La Mecanique Ondulatoire—Paris, FR
Aug. 26—Rotown—Rotterdam, NL
Aug. 27—Get Lost Fest—Hamburg, DE
Aug. 28 – TBC
Aug. 29—Sonic Ballroom—Cologne, DE
Aug. 30—Zoro—Leipzig, DE
Aug. 31 – Berlin, DE
Sept. 1—Klub 007—Prague, CZ
Sept. 2—Kabinet Muz—Brno, CZ
Sept. 3—Venster 99—Vienna, AT
Sept. 4—Kafe Kult—Munich, DE
Sept. 5—Kunstkeller—Furth, DE
Sept. 6 – TBC
Sept. 7—Hafenkneipe—Zurich, CH
Sept. 8—Taptab—Schaffhausen, CH
Sept. 9—Edone—Bergamo, IT
Sept. 10—Fuzzville—Benidorm, ES