Tennis
Young & Old
8.7
ARTIST INFO
You can accuse Denver retro-pop duo Tennis of many things, but up until now having a good album wasn't one of them. "Young & Old" changes that. The group's first LP, 2011's "Cape Dory" had some bright moments ("Marathon"), but wore on as it progressed, relying a little too much on similar song structures and a flimsy throwback audible aesthetic.
While "Young & Old" still leans heavily on dreamy tones, surf organs, and vocalist Alaina Moore's fluttering falsetto -- which occasionally sounds like one of those old, sped-up soul singer samples Kanye West loves so much -- there's been a little more depth added. Namely, a lot of hand-clapping, finger-snapping, and background crooning to assist Moore's distinctive voice and take some of the weight off her (no doubt) minimal shoulders.
Things also feel more dialed back and restrained, in the best sense. "Origins," with its gazing pulse, for instance, doesn't give all its secrets away upfront and may be the best song this married husband and wife duo has ever written. Ballad "My Better Self" is a rare example of a Tennis song that starts soft and stays that way. Elsewhere the soulful doo-wop of "Petition," milkshake parlor beat of "Robin," and romanticism of "Never To Part" prove there's more to Tennis than empty revivalism.
"Origins"
"Petition"
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