The enduring personal relationship between Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley has always been intrinsically linked to their 15-year creative run as the sophisticated indie-pop tandem Tennis. So it would be natural to assume that the end of the group might in some way portend something rocky on the marriage front.
Not so, says the Denver-based duo. The self-produced Face Down In The Garden (Mutually Detrimental) is simply the final statement from the current version of their partnership. It will be followed on May 16 by the eight-song Neutral Poetry: First Recordings, Unreleased Demos 2009-2010 EP—a final dip into the archives for a nostalgic measure of closure. That same day, Tennis kicks off a farewell tour in Las Vegas.
It’s a lot of change for Tennis fans to process. And Moore was ready and willing to hash it out in a recent chat with MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland.
Aside from the official statements on this being the last new music from Tennis, would you elaborate a bit more on what led to the decision?
We’ve always known that there would be an eventual end to the project. It felt like we were writing albums with a goal in mind—and that when we reached the goal, we’d know. We don’t believe in infinite growth. We believe artists have a peak in their careers and then a drop-off. We hoped we’d have the courage to recognize when we’d pushed ourselves to the limits of what we can achieve—or even what we want.
What sort of headspace were you in while you were working on the songs for Face Down In The Garden?
There was a sense of finality … like a completed thought. We liked the imagery of “face down in the garden” (a line taken from “12 Blown Tires”) as a representation of the album. We imagined collapsing out of exhaustion—but into something beautiful and nurturing. That’s sort of what it felt like making the record. It was extremely difficult; we felt wrung out. We strive with each new record to improve upon the last. When we finish a song, we want to be able to listen back with a sense of wonder, of not knowing how it was created. If a song couldn’t meet those goals, we cut it. We have as many songs cut from the album as are on the album.
As we’ve raised the bar for ourselves, each album has gotten exponentially harder to write. We really sensed on this album that we’d pushed ourselves as far as we were willing to go psychically before it wasn’t worth the effort and time it took to create it. We’re really proud of Face Down In The Garden. We’re happy to end on this note.
When you listen to the four-track demos from the Neutral Poetry EP 15-plus years later, what comes to mind?
Chaotic exuberance. Joyous exploration. A total lack of self-consciousness. It’s touching to remember who we were back then. The songs are so sincere. We could never write or record anything like that today—that’s what makes them so special to us. It was Patrick’s idea to release Neutral Poetry alongside Face Down In The Garden to bookend our career and show the trajectory of our songwriting and production techniques. He went through a lot of work sorting the demos, digitizing them and mixing them. There are many more recordings we wished we could include but couldn’t because they were too unfinished.
How Tennis has been able to thrive for so long as an independent, self-contained unit?
We’ve survived by being so hands-on and extremely frugal. We know where every penny is going. We’ve never splurged on expensive music videos or a tour bus. We put that money into practical things like vinyl manufacturing and advertising. Our DIY approach has allowed us to make a good living while earning less. Patrick has excellent business sense, though he doesn’t like to admit it. He’s the reason we’ve been able to function outside of a label system, without any advances or tour support.
But the music industry has changed so much since we began. It’s harder to tour; it’s harder to release music. There’s no concentrated space for indie artists anymore—it’s been infiltrated by top-40. When we started out, there was no social media, no DSPs. To be a musician now, you have to wear every hat, do everything yourself, burn the candle at both ends or be seriously bankrolled. We’ve been going as hard as we can for 15 years keeping this DIY project going, and we’re just burned out.
What will you miss most about being on the road?
Our fondest memories are of the early days playing house shows and small clubs where the fan experience is quite intimate. We’ll miss the camaraderie that comes from being in a touring party. We love our band and crew. But touring has also been really tough. I’ve been hospitalized on the road; we’ve missed huge life events like weddings and birthdays and funerals. Patrick wasn’t there when his father passed away—and we’ll always regret that.
See Tennis live.
