After 15 years and seven great albums, husband and wife indie pop duo Tennis have decided to call it quits (to be clear, just to the band, not their marriage), feeling that they’ve said everything they’ve wanted to say and achieved everything they wanted to achieve as a band. Before going on indefinite hiatus though, the Denver, Colorado based pair have treated us to one final album, the recently-released Face Down in the Garden, as well as an EP of early demos, Neutral Poetry, both serving as something of fitting bookends to a remarkable career. In honor of their farewell and to give their last album a proper sendoff, the group are in the midst of what’s planned to be their last-ever tour, which means that their return to Nashville tonight, June 7 at Brooklyn Bowl, is very likely your last chance to see Tennis live in Music City!
First meeting while attending the University of Colorado Denver, Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore were inspired to form Tennis in 2010, after embarking on an eight-month sailing trip after graduation (they’ve since been on several more nautical journeys as a source of musical inspiration). Debut album Cape Dory, chronicling that trip, dropped in 2011, and sophomore effort Young & Old the following year, both attracting early buzz for the band’s breezy, nostalgic fusion of retro pop and soft rock, and modern lo-fi indie. It was third album Ritual in Repeat, in 2014, however, produced by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, which first helped Tennis connect with a wider audience, and by the mid-2010s the duo were appearing at major fests and on late night TV shows, touring with bands like Haim and Spoon, and racking up millions of streams and high-profile placements.
Remaining prolific, 2017’s Yours Conditionally, the band’s first self-produced and self-released effort on their Mutually Detrimental label, arrived after another sailing trip, and settled into a pleasant, dreamy, retro pop meets modern indie sound that has informed subsequent efforts- Swimmer (one of their best-received and accessible albums ever) in 2020, and Pollen, in 2023. Face Down in the Garden marks a swift followup, and feels like the perfect culmination and summation of everything before, showcasing Tennis at their best, most polished, and most self-reflective. One of the preeminent indie bands of the 2010s, it’s sad to see Tennis go (fingers crossed that years down the road, they’ll change their mind and return), but we’re happy to have one last chance to see their vibey, engaging live show. English indie folk singer Billie Marten will open the show, and you can still get tickets right here.
Tennis and Bllie Marten will perform tonight, June 7 at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available for $47.80.
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