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.
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’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.