As a huge fan, I was thrilled to receive the latest single from LA’s Tennis System.
San Francisco based label, Quiet Panic have picked the band up and are unveiling the new single and music video ‘Truth Hurts’, the first track off the forthcoming release Autophobia, scheduled for release in late-summer 2021.
Written and recorded entirely during the pandemic, Autophobia is the first new full-length since 2019’s Lovesick and marks a thrilling new chapter and a logical shift in sound for, the now solo project of, guitarist/vocalist Matty Taylor.
Though minimalism reigns on Autophobia, the chorus-heavy anthems Tennis System are known for bleed into the first single, ‘Truth Hurts,’ in which Taylor lays out an argument that being alone is not necessarily being weak.
The trademark Tennis System modulated glide guitar ushers in Taylors vocal. A vocal that has been given a more prominent role in the mix than any of his previous work, and it’s a revelation. This is by far the best performance I have heard from Taylor, poised and in control. the whole song hangs around it like a new suit.
Something else that is refreshing and new is the pace. It has been dialled down to a more sedate and leisurely stroll as opposed to the frenetic dash of the tracks on Lovesick. This gives Taylor room to explore his new sound. Synths now envelope his fuzzed-out riffs creating a beautiful glass like sheen to the overall sound. Something fans of the genre will fall for immediately.
It’s so great to have new material from Tennis System. I’ll be back with a full review of Autophobia nearer its release date. Meanwhile you can pre order your copy on the Quiet Panic Webstore in the US or if you are in the EU/U.K. you can grab a copy from Through Love Records.
Static Sounds Club 