Tennis System - Technicolour Blind (2014) Lossless

Like an alarming number of noise pop/shoegaze bands throughout history, L.A.'s Tennis System released a raw and raging lo-fi debut album, 2011's Teenagers, then calmed down and sanded off the rough edges for the follow-up. Released in 2014, Technicolour Blind is more dream pop than noise pop, as it bathes the songs in layers of ringing, chiming guitars and effects that sound like they were stolen from Robin Guthrie's flat. Adding some atmospheric synths to the mix and at times running Matty Taylor's voice through what sounds like ten layers of gauze also help to smooth out the sound on songs like the drifting album-opening "Suicide" and "My Life In." The measured production works well on these kinds of introspective tracks, where the band can quietly soak in the melancholy and get a little lost in sound. When they cut loose a little bit and rock out on "Call It Home" or "Try to Hide," the result is a little muted, like a less confident Pains of Being Pure at Heart. It might have been more interesting and/or exciting if there were a little more danger or unpredictability in the mix, but mostly the songs are hooky enough that they land with a soft bang instead of a thud. The songs that work best are those that have some dramatic dynamic shifts, where the two different approaches are melded together: chiefly the title track, which alternates between janglingly peaceful verses and thundering noise-gaze instrumental breaks, and the propulsive "Dead Honey, which ends the album on a positive note. Technicolour Blind sounds like the work of a band stuck between two ideas, unsure of where to focus or how to consistently bring them together in a cohesive package. It's not a terrible place for Tennis System to be, since they are pretty good at both lazing in the reverb-heavy gloom and charging ahead in noisy forward motion. It will be interesting to see where they go from here and whether they can build something unique out of this promising beginning. Review by Tim Sendra