As far as indie pop goes, Denver’s Tennis are about as poppy as can be. Husband and wife Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley along with drummer James Barone have thus far created songs that don’t push many boundaries yet are still pretty sweet on the ear. I first came across the band around the time of 2013’s Small Sound E.P which immediately became featured pretty prominently in my daily commute playlist. I was therefore interested in how they’d approach Ritual In Repeat, the band’s third full length release.
The album’s opener “Night Vision” is a slow, sultry lo-fi jam of sorts, with an underlying synth fuzz that moves into the songs dreamlike chorus. Moore is the band’s vocalist and keyboardist while Riley takes up guitar responsibilities. Moore’s soft vocal style fits the music well without ever attempting to extend beyond. Needless to say its a nice song. “Never Work For Free” kicks up the tempo a couple of notches while also demonstrating a different side of Moore’s vocal ability.
One of Ritual In Repeat‘s highlights is “I’m Callin” which is effortlessly cool. Riley brings forward all the funk his guitar possesses while Moore channels 70’s disco mixed with 80’s Madonna to create one of 2014’s catchiest and most pleasant choruses. Most importantly though it sounds a million miles away from anything released before. Not every band succeeds with such a shift in dynamics quite like Tennis does here.
Another of the album’s highlights is “Viv Without The N,” which offers Riley a chance to let loose on the guitar with a little mid section solo. ‘Wounded Heart’ containing nothing but an acoustic guitar and Moore’s soothing yet forlorn vocals follows. ‘This Isn’t My Song” is another easy-listening slow jam, “Solar On The Rise” is similar to “Never Work For Free” with its up tempo beat. Even with a faster song, Moore never breaks away from her comfort zone. While this isn’t a bad thing, she’s obviously a very natural talented singer, but it would be nice to see her break free and kick it up a gear. The album’s closer “Meter And Line” is much of the same on Ritual In Repeat, a slow pop song that drifts along, but ultimately doesn’t leave much of a mark.
On Rituals In Repeat, Tennis show they haven’t lost their touch in crafting nice, gentle indie pop songs, but there are signs that they can produce something different. While the surf pop-esque backbone of the album will please fans, it’s the faster songs that Tennis achieves their best results on. If you love your indie warm with a side order of pop then you’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of Ritual In Repeat. It’s just difficult to shake the feeling that they could have offered a little bit more variety.
Rating: 3.5/5