Album Review: Tennis - Camp Dory

Nearing the end of their stint as undergrad philosophy students, husband and wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley decided to sell their belongings and set out on their own and sail the Eastern seaboard. "Camp Dory" lives up to its intended purpose as musical documentation of the couple's seven month trip in a way photos or postcards couldn't do justice. Track titles like Baltimore, South Carolina and Bimini Bay offer geographic pinpoints, adding to some of the best thematic usage I've ever seen in an album (among the ranks of teen angst in "The Suburbs", loving and losing in The Antlers' "Hospice" and the high school undertones of "Treats" by Sleigh Bells.) The simple yet elegant lyrics invite you to a world where the tide is your only enemy and your only worry is deciding between SPF 15 and 30. All of this makes me think that the winter release was a conscious decision to provide a mental vacation to those of us unfortunate enough to be in the Midwest. 


Favorite Tracks:
• Tales of high-tide-induced-near-death-experiences have never been so bubbly as they are in Marathon. The tale of misjudging the weather at Coconut Cove is told in this flawless pop ballad.
• I don't know how else to explain how intoxicatingly cheery and addicting Long Boat Pass is than by mentioning that I've had it on repeat since last Monday. If that's not enough to encourage you to set it on repeat for a couple hours, then Moore's fluctuating vocals and Beach Boy reminiscent guitar reps should do it.
• The title track, Camp Dory, is an fantastically effortless combination of beach-y sounds and nostalgic "oh oh oh"-ing that pretty much sums up Tennis' mission: to make you wish you were living as an extra in a 1960's surfing movie, monkeying your way to success. 


Similar Recommendations:
Little Joy, The Drums, Surfer Blood