Video: Tennis – “My Better Self”

As the shot opens, Alaina Moore, Patrick Riley, and James Barone, along with two back-up dancers/singers, stand on stage, shrouded in darkness and fog.  Thus begins Tennis’ new video for “My Better Self,” directed by Lilliput Pictures. The video, inspired by David Lynch’s early 90s TV series Twin Peaks, emphasizes a less sunny side of Tennis, employing an eerie glimpse into the nether-realms of the dark subconscious.  While the lyrics address the fleeting nature of language and meaning, the narrative of a dark figure descending on an elderly gentleman at the bar addresses the fleeting nature of purity and life. Interestingly, the video incorporates aspects of traditional dance videos alongside the darkness of this narrative. The video ends with a growing static sound and a close-up shot of singer Alaina Moore, creepily gazing with glassy, transfixed eyes.  We loved this song on the record, and now we are given a video that offers intriguing contrasts to the band’s sound and indicates a more cerebral maturity that was hinted at throughout the songs of their sophomore effort Young and Old. Catch the band in Austin at the Parish tomorrow night!  You can bet we’ll be there.