Tennis - We Can Die Happy EP

Tennis
We Can Die Happy EP
2017
Spotify

My fingers were all primped to rip this record apart. Tennis has been driving me kind of insane lately with their almost California style twee and I assumed this EP was going to be more of the same. Well chalk me up for an L on this one because boy oh boy was I wrong. The record's opener "No Exit" is simply fantastic. Tennis have not left their delicate sound completely behind, but they have bolstered it with some funk and dance elements. Their sound has shifted into being more like Real Estate or Best Coast. Including that funky sound adds so much dimension and depth to their music without loosing that thing that makes them so distinct in the first place. They still have that 70s soft rock style but on this album it just feels more elevated and more refined. "No Exit" and "Diamond Rings" have a bass line that we've never heard from Tennis before and it really takes their music to another level. It gives those two songs such a deep groove and eliminates that thing that sometimes makes Tennis feel a bit gimmicky. It is a short EP at just under seventeen minutes but that time feels just right here. With ten songs you can see them loosing steam and getting a bit repetitive but on We Can Die Happy they get in and out leaving you wanting more and having to go back and listen again.

The closer "Building God" has this really great production which swell and grows with dreamy synths. It creates this whole hazy environment that feels bright and golden like much of Tennis' music. Alaina's vocals can sometimes be so high that they get a bit tedious but not on this track, Her voice fits just perfectly into this dream world they create. This record is so much more approachable than anything Tennis have done in the past, it seems like they got out of their heads a bit and the results are tremendous. This is the duo's second release through their own label and that freedom is really starting to have a big effect on their music. Their sound is becoming less intellectual and more emotionally charged and hence in a word: better. I truly enjoyed this EP and was not expecting to, give this one a listen you will not regret it.

7.8 out of 10