More about: Tennis
A love letter to the highs and lows of life
Tennis are back, and at their best, with their sixth studio album Pollen. It’s an album filled to the brim with dream pop synthesisers and a melding of strings, a mixture of classical and contemporary components that make Alaina Moore’s voice as ethereal as ever.
The first single from the album, 'One Night with the Valet', is a two-minute hush pop sensation, a colourful track on the wistful desire of being involved in a greater scheme, ‘tempted by love’. It’s a fleeting song about the allure of something not being forever - a note on how life is constantly changing and there has to be some artistry in avoiding melancholy, a conscious effort to find the highlights in the lows.
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With tracks like 'Glorietta' sounding akin to Lorde’s 'Solar Power': that is, escapism in auditory form, you can feel the inspiration that runs through the duo’s work. Their personal adventures of jet setting and sailing are easily recognised, with no one song sounding similar to another; a differentiation between tracks brought together by their quintessential lo-fi recording.
Tennis echo how indie pop music has changed since their debut in 2011, a kind of restlessness in uncertainty and something bigger than oneself. There’s a deliberate unplugging in their work, with the couple’s long stretches at sea, off-grid, keeping them humble in fame. The humility of travelling and living within themselves keeps Tennis writing music that is not affected by the trends in the recording industry, but very much their own.
"A love letter to the highs and lows of life"
The titular track, 'Pollen Song', stands out as one about the monotony of life: "It feels like it’s just the pollen blowing in the wind / going back again through the pouring rain".
When Moore sings these lyrics, however, you can feel the beauty she finds in her daily life - it might feel like something naturally occurring, but you can still find solace in the comfort of routine. It’s refreshing to hear artists discuss beauty in regularity rather than the outstanding opportunities that await them as world-touring famous people - they are just like the listener, seeking reassurance from the ebbs and flows of life.
Overall, Tennis embody the radical act of loving your life with all its imperfections. They avoid othering themselves from the listener, creating a relationship of the acknowledgement that sometimes life is repetitive. With this repetition, however, comes an opportunity to create a shelter, a comfort in knowing and being known. All of this against a funky backdrop of various instruments and vocal tones, and Tennis have done it again: a love letter to the highs and lows of life.
Pollen is out February 10th
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More about: Tennis
