Album Review // Tennis // Face Down in the Garden
4/5 stars
Face Down in the Garden is the melancholic final chapter for the indie pop duo Tennis. Since their formation in 2010, Tennis has been a passion project for married couple Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley. As the build-up began for their seventh studio album, the duo sounded stronger than ever on lead single "Weight of Desire" – infectious dream-like instrumentation and melodic vocals painting this transitory journey. All signs pointed to another solid addition to their discography; however, the language surrounding this project quickly changed as Face Down in the Garden became labeled as the band's final album. The disillusionment of Tennis paints this project in a morose, reflective light. While the two sound as sharp as ever musically speaking, the same cannot be said lyric-wise. Throughout the album's nine tracks, Alaina reflects on her time as a band and with Patrick. Akin to flipping through a photo album, thoughts and memories float to the surface between pages and key events. This form of lyric writing comes ahead with "12 Blown Tires" – starting as a simple tour story, the song quickly morphs into this rumination on the band's intertwining professional and personal lives. Face Down in the Garden bookends Tennis with their most personal display yet. With the couple calling their project quits after the album and connected "Farewell" tour, little is known about what comes next for the two.
