Anger Is at Its Most Rhythmic on New Tennis Single “Need Your Love”
Photo by Luca Venter
In Tennis’ video for new single “Need Your Love,” Alaina Moore, one half of the wife-husband duo, channels a permed Twiggy, complete with ‘70s piece-y eyelashes, an awesome green corduroy boiler suit and striking blue monolid eyeshadow. Husband Patrick Riley sports a relax-fit, houndstooth blazer and a sleek bowl cut. Over their decade-long careers, Tennis have etched out a distinct brand of stylish, sweet indie-pop, and now more than ever can the ‘70s influence be seen in the realm of indie releases.
Eternal romantics, the group’s new song has a rare anger for them. In a statement, Moore explains, “I usually deny myself the emotion, but the music demanded intensity from me and I had a lot to be angry about at the time.” Despite this, “Need Your Love” is still a shimmery, clarion banger. Instead, it communicates these feelings with tempo slowdowns, a feature of the track that give it a distinct action and movement—as the track becomes more narcotic, Moore’s vocals slink into a darker sensuality she usually doesn’t venture into. “Need Your Love” ranks among Tennis’ most complex tracks, with weighty composition and restless vocals that combine into a psych-pop tinge. “The music was resilient enough to handle our wildest ideas and we indulged every whim. It’s my favorite song Patrick and I have written.”
Tennis’ previous album Yours Conditionally was marked by simplicity, drawing comparisons to the works of Carole King. Swimmer, their forthcoming album on Mutually Detrimental, seems concerned with grander ideas and more complicated writing. Previous single “Runner” saw the duo venturing into funk groove and tapping on Moore’s soprano.
Tennis will be appearing at the Shaky Knees Festival in May. Watch the video for “Need Your Love” below, plus a 2012 Tennis performance from the Paste archives. Scroll down for their upcoming tour dates, and Swimmer’s album art and tracklist.
Swimmer Album Art:
