Tennis 

                                                       Young and Old

                                                             7.7/10

                                                        Recommend 

After only a year and one month after Tennis released their debut album Cape Dory the Denver trio return with their follow up, Young and Old — a less sweet, stronger and confident record.

If you remember anything from Cape Dory you’ll most likely remember its overall sugary and nautical aesthetic. So sweet in fact, it may have given you a cavity. Many found Alaina Moore’s vocals to be way too cheery and dolly and backed by the jittery synths and lyrics about the ocean, boats and the like (all inspired from a sailing trip Moore and her husband/bandmate Patrick Riley took together) the record became cuteness overload. But with Young and Old the band are more confident with who they are and pretty much ditched the gimmick and replaced their shtick with solid sounding songs. They’ve even added a third member and their sophomore effort proves that they are in fact a Real Band.

The first single “Origins” is one of the strongest here. It thrives on the strengths of Tennis’ previous work but scrubs away the novelty and instead we get really solid sounds and construction. Same goes for “It All Feels the Same,” the LP’s opener. Strong guitars and drumming set the tone for the album and Moore’s vocals are still her own but don’t sound cartoonish anymore. “Traveling” is a nice jam with jingling drums and bustling keyboards. “High Road” is one of the most impressive songs on Y&O thanks to the fuzz guitars. For a moment you may think Tennis is going for a shoegaze moment but it soon reveals itself as being a secure indie pop tune. 

Tennis drive their new sound and image in pretty hard here. So much so, some of the tracks end up bleeding together or just aren’t interesting enough to keep me wanting to come back for more. Some hooks are flat but they’re made up for in other songs. The clanky “My Better Self” quickly looses its appeal due to a soft piano riff that gets drowned out by metallic drums and Moore’s cooing. “Robin” takes too long to build and I’ve checked out before the hook hits. “Dreaming” and “Take Me to Heaven” are faceless songs as well — not necessarily terrible songs but they weight the LP down a bit.

The band’s new direction is welcomed and they prove that Cape Dory wasn’t just a fluke. I feel like Young and Old should have come first. Here they are more cautious and focused and showcase their talents — they sound like a group that wants to be around for awhile rather than a buzz band for a few months. For their third LP I wouldn’t be surprised if Tennis delivers an even stronger batch of songs and make a big mark in the indie music scene. 

Listen to “It All Feels the Same” below: