In no hurry, Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley have returned with their introspective sixth studio album, Pollen. Tennis continues to reject contemporary sound, opting for comforting melodies as they grapple with reality.
By: Aubrey Hoes
photo: Mutually Detrimental
Tennis, although popularly known for their role as a white collar sport, have traded their racquets for a bass and keyboard in their newest album, Pollen. The married duo, Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, have come together once again, hitting back and forth in a relaxed rhythm. Tapping into their laidback sonic formula, the pair play across a myriad of genres, serving nostalgia to listeners’ ears.
Indie pop, as a genre, is nothing less than palatable. Free from substantive conflict, the genre is unambitious and pacifying. One may question whether the significance of a piece of music is to evoke emotion; Tennis (the band), however, openly embraces the carefree nature of indie pop, affording them the creative freedom to suffuse through multiple genres in a manner that is altogether non-intrusive to listeners. Tennis has found and perfected their niche within the indie pop scene, blending superficial themes with nostalgic flair, creating a sound that I can only describe as ‘palatable.’
Do not get me wrong. I loved this project. However, I cannot help but feel as though Pollen is uninspired. Drawing upon multiple genres from the past six or seven decades, Pollen heavily relies on the ‘warm fuzzies’ of reminiscence; reminiscence of a life free of burden. Like the titular “Pollen Song” suggests, we are all simply pollen “blowing in the wind.” But with this ‘carefree’ approach, both Moore and Riley committed to producing an album that severely lacks substance.
Pollen is a full devotion to early 70s pop, as there are clear influences from popular groups such as the Beatles on “Glorietta” or Fleetwood Mac on “Pollen Song” (with heavy stylistic vocals borrowed from Stevie Nicks), and clear nods to 60s soul on “Paper.” Additionally, the duo dives into 80s club/pop with songs such as “Let’s Make a Mistake Tonight” or “Pillow on a Cloud,” reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins. However, there are still clear influences from contemporary indie artists, such as Lana Del Rey and Clairo, and Tennis, granted, gracefully weaves together the themes of the current music industry with the echoes of the past.
Though reliance on nostalgia is the keystone to Tennis’ success, it plays a much deeper role in Pollen. Introspectively, both artists explore their love together as they struggle with mortality. “Pillow on a Cloud” characterizes the themes of this project perfectly, as singer Alaina Moore woefully proclaims “Time passing used to thrill me, now it only terrorizes me.” Pollen, at large, reminisces on the earlier points in the couple’s lives, frequently rotating between past and present perspectives to provide points of reflection on their aging relationship. Moore continues on, crying “its [time] evidence carved into my skin, and over everything I ever loved.” Juxtaposed with the fluctuation of temporal melodic motifs, Tennis accompanies listeners on a journey through their lives.
However, the main focus of this project lies in its production rather than its lyrical content. To that point, Pollen is, at best, borrowed. Lacking innovation, I found myself at times forgetting that I was even listening to a Tennis album. I was overall unimpressed with the absence of acoustic personality on this derivative track list. The platitudinal lyrics did not help either. To say that the artists had a grand vision for this project beyond producing ‘good-sounding’ music would be somewhat disingenuous.
Yet, this does not have to be a bad thing. Pollen’s lackluster lyrics are not endemic to Tennis. Indie pop as a whole focuses on light-subject matter, balanced with catchy production. Beach House has established itself on producing music that makes listeners ‘feel’ rather than ‘think.’ Rather than writing illustrious narratives, the group focuses on their deliberately-crafted production. I wouldn’t describe Pollen differently. The ability to provoke emotion in a piece is as essential as provoking thought. The ability of a piece to move an individual is what dictates its inherent quality, and Tennis achieves exactly that. Though, it is an important distinction that ‘elation,’ ‘nostalgia,’ and ‘amusement’ are emotions of no lesser importance than ‘sadness,’ ‘anger,’ or ‘regret.’ What defines a piece as a success in its own right is based upon the listener’s ability to extract from it personal value. As such, nostalgia-ridden Pollen does hold value, for though it may not be particularly deep, thought-provoking, or tear-jerking, I enjoyed listening throughout.
If you are looking to boost your levels of serotonin, I highly recommend this album. If you would like to listen to similar projects, look no further than literally any other American indie pop group that has produced music in the last five years. That being said, my high points of this album were “One Night With the Valet,” “Pollen Song,” “Paper,” “Never Been Wrong,” and “Pillow For a Cloud.” I rate Pollen three Reveries out of five.
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