Indie pop duo Tennis returns with "Weight of Desire," a song that both elevates and critiques the feelings of passion and longing, illustrating our tendency to idealize desire itself.
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Stream: “Weight of Desire” – Tennis
Throughout Tennis' discography, there are certain consistent elements: evocative lyrics combined with production that draws from various genres and times. The outcome is a uniquely diverse and expansive catalog of catchy and cathartic indie pop music that retains common themes across projects, blending spacey textures with more folk-inspired acoustic elements at the core of the band's artistry.
With "Weight of Desire," Tennis reassures fans that they are building on the components that made their previous album, Pollen, so successful and well-received. Lead singer Alaina Moore’s vocals, in conjunction with the captivating production from her collaborator, producer, and husband Patrick Riley, create an intimate and emotional listening experience on this track.
Released on February 7th via Mutually Detrimental, "Weight of Desire" serves as the lead single from Tennis' upcoming seventh studio album, Face Down in the Garden. Offering insight into the album's intimate, narrative-driven approach, Moore expresses, “In Face Down in the Garden, I trace the arc of my life through a series of vignettes: a moment of connection, a conversation at a wedding, a night offshore, a tour diary.”
"Weight of Desire" captures the introspective and personal narratives we'll explore in this project, aligning with the theme of the ‘first moment of connection’ that Moore describes.
All the choices that I’ve made
Are coming back around for me
Now I’m two steps from the water
And it’s so clear that I do this to myself
I feel the weight of desire
I feel the weight of desire lead me on
Tennis © Blossom Liu, Daniel Gray
The opening lines, combined with the slow, almost gel-like production, suggest a force drawing Moore in, to which she seems to yield. In this context, desire appears more as a force that brings her closer to choices and moments that ultimately disappoint. Lyrics like “All the choices I’ve made... / I’m two steps from the water / And it’s so clear that I do this to myself” embody a melancholy, both within the lyrics and the band's production, depicting desire as a personified yet unreliable guide, akin to the blind leading someone into an emotional situation while ignoring past misdirections.
Tennis subtly (and to some extent, directly) acknowledges desire's frequent inability to lead to anything meaningful. Nonetheless, Moore is still captivated by the theme of the song, even aware of where desire has led her in the past. It creates a poetic reflection on how longing and hopeful romanticism, while sweet in the moment, can ultimately lead to a difficult dead end. Despite this, Moore finds herself caught in the gravitational pull of desire.
Now I stare at things breathing
At all the things that are living
Cause I want to and I feel it
And it’s so clear that I do this to myself
I feel the weight of desire
I feel the weight of desire even now
Tennis © Blossom Liu, Daniel Gray
The production subtly intensifies and swells toward the ends of the chorus, perhaps to reflect the denial of earlier choices and outcomes connected to desire. Embracing desire in its most pleasurable and kind form feels good, intoxicating, and even addictive, overshadowing past failures, a sentiment that resonates through the production.
“Weight of Desire” is a captivating and promising single from Face Down in the Garden. If this is indicative of where the duo stands with their sound, fans can be reassured that they continue to harness what makes their tracks so enticing, infusing them with more of that essence.
“Weight Of Desire” is available on all streaming platforms, and Tennis' seventh studio album is set for release on April 25th via their label, Mutually Detrimental.
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Stream: “Weight of Desire” – Tennis
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Indie pop duo Tennis is back with “Weight of Desire,” a song that both uplifts and critiques the emotions of passion and yearning, illustrating our tendency to romanticize desire.