Tennis shared a cover of the Carpenters’ classic “Superstar.” The track was produced and recorded by the husband and wife duo, Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore, in their hometown of Denver, Colo.
Moore says of the cover:
Karen Carpenter is a major influence on my writing. Her voice is so distinctive, I can always imagine her interpretation of a song regardless of genre. Our goal with “Superstar” was to re-cast her voice in the context of a different band in a different era. This led us to take a lot of liberties, including writing a bridge that doesn’t exist in the original. The result is something that doesn’t really sound like Tennis or the Carpenters, which we really liked. I feel a strong pull toward women whose creative contributions were cut short by their untimely deaths – Laura Nyro, Judee Sill, Trish Keenan, and of course Karen Carpenter. This song is really just me carrying a torch for her.
Tennis also announced a livestream scheduled for Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. ET. Riley and Moore will be joined by their full touring band for the first time since the pandemic began. You can purchase tickets here.
Moore added:
This announcement has been a long time coming. Once live music was effectively canceled, Patrick and I started working on a way to make it up to ourselves, our band, and to you. We wanted to do more than an acoustic set from home. We wanted to play a proper show with our band – the one we had spent so much time preparing in January. It has been a logistical challenge pulling this off while carefully observing restrictions and protocols. Despite the nasal swabbing, mask wearing and obsessive hand washing, the whole endeavor has given us a much-needed sense of normalcy. It is no small feat for a luddite (Pat) and a germaphobe (me) to attempt a livestream during a pandemic, but here we are!
Earlier this year, Tennis released Swimmer via the band’s Mutually Detrimental label. Read Paste’s review of the album here.
Listen to Tennis cover “Superstar” below, and keep scrolling to revisit their 2012 Daytrotter session.