Tennis on Tour
There's no doubt that Tennis have real chemistry onstage — singer Alaina Moore and guitarist Patrick Riley are married and have been since they started this sweetly hooky indie pop outfit back in 2010. In person, they often take turns on keyboards while backed by drums and bass. This configuration lets the pair lean into their modern, lightly psychedelic side, joining dreamy atmosphere with driving rhythm. But the moments when the backing band steps away are all the more compelling, highlighting the depth of Moore's voice and the sparkle of Riley's chords, not to mention their mutual love for vintage ‘50s pop. The Denver-based couple tours nearly nonstop, supporting indie rock giants like HAIM, the Shins and Spoon, as well as headlining their own shows. For their 2020 run behind their fifth album Swimmer, they tapped the beguiling and breathy Austin retro-pop queen Molly Burch. If Tennis' music often feels beamed in from another era, they typically have the look to match — '70s hair, flared pants, sequins, turtlenecks — all of which adds to their out-of-time appeal.
Tennis in Concert
Tennis' origin story is truly one of one. Sure, Moore and Riley met in a philosophy class while studying at the University of Colorado in Denver — fairly standard. But upon graduation, the couple spent eight months at sea in their boat, The Swift Ranger, touring the East Coast while discussing music. Their 2011 debut album, Cape Dory, in fact documents that experience. Though it was intended as a personal project, the record wooed audiences with its lovely "sha-na-nas" and sparkling lo-fi indie pop, paving the way for a second LP the very next year. 2012's Young & Old was produced by the Black Keys' Patrick Carney. That one found Tennis loosening up after months of touring, letting the drums and keys speak even as Moore's vocals became clearer and more emotionally evocative. In between major releases, the duo solidified their malt-shop, dream-pop sound covering the likes of the Zombies, Brenda Lee, Broadcast and Television. They graduated from Fat Possum Records to Communion (founded by Mumford & Sons' Ben Lovett) for 2014's delightfully dialed-in Ritual in Repeat, which featured production by Carney, Richard Swift (the Shins) and Jim Eno (Spoon). Despite that one's success, Moore and Riley felt creatively blocked, so they again took to the water, sailing from San Diego to the Sea of Cortez to write 2017's Yours Conditionally, which they released on their own label, Mutually Detrimental. Tennis returned in 2020 with the comparatively hi-fi sounding Swimmer.
