Tennis - "We Can Die Happy EP"

Indie Pop duo Tennis has been around for a few years now, and at first, I was really excited to hear these guys.  Mostly because of just the amount of hype surrounding them.  The duo's first release "Cape Dory" while it didn't really strike me at first has sort of grown on me over the years.  Yes, there are still so many tracks on here that are just so underwritten and flat.  But there are also tracks like "South Carolina" and "Baltimore" that are just so catchy and sweet.   Up next, in 2012 Tennis Released "Young & Old", which I honestly think is probably their finest album.  Yes, it was an album that still was drowning in its own influences.  But tracks like "Petition" and "Origins" are just so damn sweet and catchy that I couldn't say no.  But honestly, I was sort of under the impression that Tennis's music could get very boring, very fast. In 2014 Tennis released "Ritual In Repeat", and the duo began to falter a little.  This album had a few snappy, retro-tinged Indie Pop tunes like "Viv Without The N" and "Needle And A Knife".  But the majority of the deep cuts on this album were just so damn soulless.  The tracks on here often had a lot of potential, but at the end of the day I sort of just thought there were so many other bands doing this sound so much more justice.  But "Ritual In Repeat" wasn't terrible I suppose.   But on the other hand, I'm sorry, their early 2017 release "Yours Conditionally" is quite frankly awful.  Tracks like "Baby Don't Believe" and "Ladies Don't Play Guitar" is sweet and really nice.  But outside of that, this album is just so one dimensional.  And the worst part is, that it's so obvious what Tennis is trying to do.  I just feel like so many bands are doing it so much more justice.  So after I was so disappointed by their recent output, I'll be honest I haven't been too excited for this new EP. But man, I'll be honest these singles dropped from it early have actually been seriously classy and snappy, and everything I sort of used to really enjoy about Tennis.  Let's chat about the rest of this EP!

   This EP starts off with “No Exit”, and right off the bat, I do like how the production os a little less squeaky clean.  There’s a sort of weird Disco Vibe to this that I’m actually seriously into.  I love just how funky and fun this is.  Like, this track only seconds in is so much more loose and carefree than anything that we heard on the last Tennis album.  “No Exit” can easily go toe-to-toe with some of the band’s earlier catchier and punchier material.  So basically what we learned here, is that when Tennis isn't taking their sound so damn seriously, they can actually produce a seriously fun tune.  Instrumentally, we know what we’re getting into when it comes to Tennis.  And as far as that goes, yes, this is a little straightforward.  But this sort of retro, upbeat funk is refreshing to hear from Tennis.  The very Low-Fi production continues with “Born To Be Needed”, and it continues to be VERY refreshing.  I love the dreaminess to this one and vocalist Alaina Moore’s sassy performance which comes off adorable.  This is just so back to basics for Tennis, which is really what I wanted to hear from them.  Now, the Tennis formula still remains for the most part really simple and straightforward.  But for Indie Pop, this just really pleasant to listen to. “Born To Be Needed’ is also incredibly classy.  But what’s most interesting, is how when Tennis sort of take a step back with their “Retro” sound, it just comes off so much more likable.  Who would have thought!  Then we have “I Miss That Feeling”, which is just so pleasant and charming.  Of all of these Indie Pop bands that go for this very quaint, retro-tinged Pop tunes, this track right here is what you should be aiming for.  And the irony is, just how often in the past few years that Tennis have missed this mark completely. “I Miss The Feeling” ends up being a very warm, sweet tune with Alaina’s very tender vocals really coming off as the star.  Not to mention, the simplicity of this tune is damn near agitating.  Like, I feel like Tennis could have done this two years ago and I would be so much more into them.  I love how Alaina’s vocals are just so winding, and Patrick Riley’s very Surf-friendly instrumentals are a pleasant surprise since it’s been a while since they’ve taken that route.  Overall, this EP works for Tennis so far.
    “Diamond Rings” on the other hand, stops me immediately in my tracks, and not in a good way.  The instrumental on this one is so much more rigid compared to just how carefree some of the earlier tunes were.  Alaina’s performance is a fraction of how charming as some of the earlier moments.  Hell, overall this one doesn’t sound like the same band.  Even the production on this one is seriously questionable.  I feel like Tennis just really let their guard down with “Diamond Rings”.  They honestly end up coming off sounding more like a Tennis knock-off band, which is never good.  It’s a really bizarre tune, which really should have just been left off of this EP.  Thankfully, Tennis really does bring it home nicely with the finale “Building God”.  I mean, this is easily one of the sweetest and most meaningful sounding ballad’s I’ve heard from Tennis in years.  Tracks like this, which showed up all over the band’s last album “Yours Conditionally” were often unbearable.  But Alaina’s incredible performance and Patrick’s once again Surf-Rock instrumental really make this one lovable.  It’s warm and inviting and makes me wanna grab my lady for a slow dance.  

Rating: 7.7/10

Genre: Indie Pop / Dream Pop 

Overall Thoughts:  This EP while it's only 16 minutes long is the most interesting and freshest material that Tennis has dropped in years.  They've been fumbling lately going for these very retro-tinged ballads.  But here, they seem to have gotten their sound really back on track, making for an incredibly sweet collection of songs.  If you were into their early work, this is certainly going to be an EP you'll want to hear.