Transcontinental Drift

After Denver couple Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley of Tennis graduated from college in 2009, they embraced a decidedly bohemian existence, selling their possessions and sailing down the Eastern seaboard for seven months. That nautical excursion inspired their 2011 debut album Cape Dory, a 1960s-nostalgic LP. Now, just over a year later, the duo has produced new material after another extended trek—this time to Barcelona, Moscow, and Nashville. Like the previous record, Young and Old (Fat Possum) sounds vintage and girl group-influenced, but it’s sprinkled with hints of classic rock, garage punk, and even some slightly dissonant leaning vocals. “We were a lot more open this time around,” explains Moore. “Instead of immersing ourselves in the Shirelles and the Ronettes, we were listening to Todd Rundgren and even Ty Segall—I made it a point to listen to male instead of female songwriters.”