Tennis is no longer just a sport.
The indie band, made up of husband and wife Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore, has been making music since mid-2010. But only last year, with their first full album “Cape Dory,” did they really start getting the recognition they deserve.
The duo recorded their debut album after being inspired on a sailing voyage down the eastern Atlantic seaboard. Though the songs felt complete, they were never really meant to be heard. According to an interview with Fat Possum Records, Moore said the album happened “almost by accident.”
Just over a year later, they’re back with “Young and Old,” penned during their first tour. Though it was begun under more ordinary circumstances than an Atlantic expedition, Tennis’ sophomore album is a definite step forward.
Moore revealed to Fat Possum Records that she and Riley wanted to keep writing new music immediately, so creating “Young and Old” was a fast process.
“This is the first time we wrote songs for the sake of sharing them,” Moore said.
Opening song “It All Feels the Same” begins with a strumming guitar and gentle percussion that evoke lazy summer days on the beach. Moore’s fluid vocals float nicely above the lilting melody. Then the instrumentation broadens and the track becomes more forceful, leaving listeners practically giddy with anticipation.
“Origins,” the album’s first single, relies on guitar and percussion in the same way as the first track. The addition of a graceful saxophone solo and background vocals fills out the song. Moore’s vibrato adds just the right amount of swaying motion.
Next, the percussive “My Better Self” shifts the focus to piano in its chord-laden opening. Moore’s voice is softer and more refined, accompanied by a snare that imitates hand claps. As with previous tracks, this one is perhaps most strongly defined by its driving beat.
“Traveling” quickens the pace once again. The coupling of a rhythmic tambourine with the honeyed “oohs” of the backing vocals creates a relaxing yet energetic feel that is very conducive to foot-tapping or head-nodding.
In terms of instruments, “Petition” is very much a continuation of what has already been established by its forerunners. However, it’s fresh enough to keep listeners interested. The track mixes piano, drums and layered vocals into a perfect final product.
“Robin” sounds like a modern-day twist on an upbeat 1950s tune. The tambourine returns to lend its magic here, and Moore’s final held note – with guitars dancing over it – is a particularly memorable moment.
“High Road,” with its sliding guitar melody and persistent yet contained cymbal crashing, seems inspired by the likes of Vampire Weekend. Interspersed with the drumming is the rather forlorn observation that “paradise is all around but happiness is never found.” The juxtaposition of these pensive lyrics with the tune’s cheerful sound is reminiscent of songs like Camera Obscura’s ironically joyful “The Sweetest Thing.”
Appropriately, “Dreaming” makes use of wistful vibraphone sounds behind the band’s usual combination of guitar and drums. It’s another 1950s throwback that caters to the album’s overall sound. By the track’s end, Moore’s echoing voice fades out in a very reflective way.
“Take Me to Heaven” begins with lone vocals before the instruments kick in. “There’s nothing left for me,” Moore insists, expressing both the need and the readiness for something beyond life. The song’s end rather fittingly finds Moore’s voice spiraling upward in a whirlwind of sounds whose individual sources are almost indiscernible.
“Never to Part” begins with a heavy plodding rhythm that makes Moore’s lighter vocals a welcome treat for one final time. Elements of previous songs, such as a relentless snare and the ubiquitous “oohs,” are present here, and the album’s final moments are surprisingly satisfying as the drums melt away into one final fading guitar chord.
Though it’s not downright aggressive, there’s something immediately arresting about Tennis’ second album. These are songs that carry undertones of eras long past, as well as a bit of their own new sound that’s just emerging on the horizon.
“We’re always reaching toward the next song,” said Riley to Fat Possum Records. Even just within the context of “Young and Old,” his words couldn’t be any more fitting.
Lindsey Tulloch can be reached at [email protected].
