Tennis explores the depths of longing, love, and fatigue in "12 Blown Tires," a turbulent, emotionally charged farewell and the hauntingly beautiful highlight from their seventh and final album, ‘Face Down in the Garden.’
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Stream: “12 Blown Tires” – Tennis
There is a subtle strength in endings that are delivered with elegance. They don’t always need to be grand or conclusive, loud or theatrical; sometimes, the most impactful farewells are those filled with reflection, resonance, purpose, and restraint. Tennis’ “12 Blown Tires” embodies such a goodbye: It is bittersweet and beautiful, poignant yet thought-provoking, capturing the essence of separation with an overwhelming sense of sorrow, gentle grief, and emotional insight.
Tender and sincere, rich and affectionate, contemplative and bittersweet, “12 Blown Tires” expresses its pain without reservation, both within and without. It stands out on Face Down in the Garden, the band’s final studio album – perfectly encapsulating the essence of departure with cinematic elegance and emotional richness.
I had the honor of witnessing Tennis for the last time last night at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, and the experience left me feeling both heartbroken and grateful. Their live performances have always transcended mere entertainment – they serve as a portal to quiet catharsis. The magic of Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley (along with their band) bringing these songs to life on stage is profound: The intimacy, the rawness, the undeniable chemistry between them. Hearing “12 Blown Tires” performed live, enveloped in harmonies and tension, made the reality of their farewell resonate even more. For many of us, Tennis has been the soundtrack to significant and minor moments alike – experiencing them one last time felt like both a farewell and a celebration of all they have created.
I’ve been a supporter of Tennis since 2013 – their track “Petition” from Young & Old continues to hold a special place in my heart. 2014’s Ritual in Repeat was among the first albums I reviewed (favorably, I should add!) for Atwood Magazine, and 2017’s Yours Conditionally is still one of my all-time favorite albums: A masterpiece, a triumph, and an exemplary work of musical and emotional storytelling, filled with timeless pieces that feel as fresh and tender today as they did eight years ago.
Face Down in the Garden – Tennis
Making excuses looking back
I’m getting adept at overlooking the past
It seems our luck was all we had
Hold me for a long time without needing to ask
For me again, I keep counting
Press my longing to the edges
I’ve been face down in the garden
You’re quick but time moves swifter
Love feels like a natural disaster
As I walk, I scarcely touch the pavement
You smile and laugh while you wave
To me again, I keep counting
No flower wilts
No flower wilts in your hand,
in your hand
Ranked among Tennis' finest songs, “12 Blown Tires” feels like the conclusion of a chapter that has been crafted with love, care, and completeness. Inspired by a surreal experience on tour – four blown tires, an exhilaration from a fantastic show in Houston, and a roadside graveyard of shredded rubber – the song is, in Alaina Moore’s words, “a constellation of memories from the road, and of our marriage, two endeavors that are completely, hopelessly entwined.”
I know you are the golden son
And where you tread, new life has commenced
Waiting for destiny to accelerate
Hold me for a long time without needing to ask
Twelve blown tires in less than a mile
Twelve blown tires in less than a mile
Searching for a stone in a dust pile
Counted twelve blown tires in under a mile
Tennis on Love, The Sea, & Their Final Record, ‘Face Down in the Garden’:: INTERVIEW ::
It’s a snapshot of beauty and breakdown, of love and loss, and the slow, unstoppable passage of time.
Alaina Moore and her husband, Tennis bandmate Patrick Riley, distill the chaos, the connection, and the years into four haunting minutes of music that somehow manage to feel both expansive and intensely personal.
“When we recorded ‘12 Blown Tires’ a few months later, I sensed that we were compressing the past 15 years into four minutes of music,” Moore reflects. “It felt like the end of something, though I wasn’t certain what.”
Now we understand what that is. Through Face Down in the Garden, Tennis has chosen to bring their project to a close – at least “in this configuration,” as they describe it – and move towards new creative pursuits.
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Tennis explores the depths of yearning, love, and exhaustion in “12 Blown Tires,” a tumultuous and emotionally intense farewell – and the breathtakingly beautiful, harmony-rich highlight from their seventh and final album, ‘Face Down in the Garden.’