Gruppo Sportivo

The Dutch rockers Gruppo Sportivo couched their acerbic critiques of popular music, and by extension, popular culture at large, in slick hook-laden pop tunes that cannily simulate the most successful New Wave acts of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Their arch demeanor and clever songwriting won them a contract with Epic records shortly after their formation, and their early full-lengths for the label, like 1978’s 10 MISTAKES, 1979’s BACK TO ’78, and 1980’s COPY COPY, blended angular post-punk licks with disco basslines, massed female backing vocals, and ska-inflected horn lines.