Dublin alt-rock quartet Sprints have shared a video for their powerful second single The Cheek which recounts all of the bad experiences lead singer Karla Chubb has been subjected to because other people are not accepting of her sexuality.

“People, of any gender identity, will come across assholes like this in their life. You’re not straight enough, not gay enough, not girl enough, not man enough. This song is my way of kind of saying, fuck off” says Chubb, explaining what the landscape is like being a young bisexual woman in Ireland today.

“I’ve been told I couldn’t possibly be straight sure look at me, the places where I’ve been told I couldn’t possibly be gay, sure look at me. The places where I’ve been told I wouldn’t have been kissed if they knew I was bisexual, the places where I said no and got called a dyke, the places where I said no and got called a fake.”

“I’ve been in situations where my sexuality is over-sexualised, I’ve been in situations where it’s been villainised. I’ve been in situations where it has been totally accepted, and those are the safe-places I hope we all have. This song is written from the perspective of the not so safe places. Where when you experience unsolicited advances and are then harassed or insulted for not taking them up on their offer”

The track is a powerful statement from Chubb and SPRINTS. “The boys backed me up on the vocals because they’re basically my second family, my protectors. If they were in those situations with me now, I know they would have the same views as me. It’s all about respect.”

Check out the video for SPRINTS below. Hopefully, it’ll make you re-evaluate your thinking if you still don’t know what R.E.S.P.E.C.T. means in 2019.

https://youtu.be/TXCC1KGJoFE

SPRINTS are Karla Chubb, Colm O’Reilly, Sam McCann and Jack Callan. The Cheek premiered recently on Dan Hegarty’s The Alternative on 2FM and was selected as Track of the Day and featured on John Barker’s Totally Irish on 98fm.

SPRINTS are set to open for Greywind upstairs in Whelan’s on December 12th. Tickets €15.00

For more info on SPRINTS visit here.