Tennis

There was no shortage of female-fronted, retro-sounding music last year, but husband and wife duo Tennis got left behind by the likes of Cults. Some of that was due to the cardinal sin of releasing their debut in January, but more so it was down to the lack of drama that their admittedly pleasant songs possessed. The follow-up, Young & Old, is a more satisfying record than its predecessor, even if it follows a very similar template. And hopefully the irony of kicking album number two off with a track called "It All Feels the Same" isn't lost on anyone involved, considering that it very much does. Production this time around comes from Patrick Carney (the Black Keys) and he definitely does add some of his outlook to the proceedings, meaning songs have more urgency than on the band's debut. But the thinness of their music lets them down again. Tennis always come across like a three-piece rather than utilizing a more impressive Wall of Sound. Tennis continue to take baby steps while making far too many of the same mistakes.