You’ll Never Believe Who Was Dancing at the Tennis Show This Tuesday

Tennis by Madeline Harvey

It was me. Besides the egregious amount of rain to come into town Tuesday night, the Denver band Tennis also arrived playing to a sold-out dancing Parish crowd that sang all the words to the old songs and most of the words to the new songs. The band released Ritual in Repeat last year; here’s a link to our coverage of the album’s video single, “I’m Callin’.” It hasn’t been long since the band last came to town, but the husband-and-wife duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore showed why they’re back by selling out the kinda-modestly-sized Parish.

Tennis by Madeline Harvey

The new album is critically acclaimed for moving into more mature territories that showcase a bit of shadow behind the sunshiney, washed out yacht-rock from their first album Cape Dory. Behind this sonic sea change are a host of big name music dudes: Patrick Carney (Black Keys), Richard Swift, and hometown hero Jim Eno (Spoon drummer and Public Hi-Fi proprietor). The new album garners more comparisons to pop singers from the 70s and 80s than ever before, especially Madonna and Pat Benetar, while channeling that blue-eyed, ever-slick compressed pop sheen. Put on some roller skates, a leotard, anything sequined, and drift away on the dance floor. Maturity be damned, Ms. Moore can still joke: “I hope you guys like medieval squires, because that’s what the rain has done to my hair today,” she said, sporting a curly blond bob. Besides the old-school pop comparisons, think Haim or the Preatures to find that contemporary throwback sound.

Kuroma by Madeline Harvey

Kuroma’s 90s-inspired jangle pop and Of Montreal technicolor quirk opened for Tennis Tuesday night at the Parish in downtown Austin. Sudden chord changes from already chord-filled progressions supplied a complex palette for lead singer and guitarist Hank Sullivant to play winding solos over. Echoes of the Zombies were apparent in the polite vocal delivery, while a Breeders cover helped round out the arty alt-rock influence. The band, who features past members of MGMT, released an album earlier in April entitled Kuromarama. Buy it here.

All photos © Madeline Harvey & Pop Press International. Select any photo to open set in slideshow viewer.