Beyond The Stage Magazine
Beyond The Stage Magazine
Tennis performs in Austin, TX
Photos

PHOTOS: Tennis – Austin, TX – 6/11/2025

Sydney Wisner

Tennis, the Denver-based indie‑pop duo of Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, announced in April 2025 that their seventh album, Face Down in the Garden, would serve as their final studio release. Issued through their own label, Mutually Detrimental, the album arrived on April 25 and was accompanied by the single “12 Blown Tires,” a reflective track born from a disastrous tour‑bus breakdown that saw a dozen tires shredded during their journey. In their emotional announcement, Moore shared that after 15 years and six previous albums—including cult favorites like Pollen (2023) and Swimmer (2020)—the couple felt they’d “said everything we wanted to say” through Tennis and were ready to pursue new creative paths and rediscover life as a married couple outside the band.

Their farewell tour, dubbed the Face Down in the Gardens run, kicked off on May 16, 2025, in Las Vegas and stretches across North America through early September, concluding with a final performance on September 4 in Saratoga, California. Across 15 June shows alone, they’ve performed in iconic independent venues like NYC’s Rooftop at Pier 17, Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Emo’s in Austin, where I took these photos. The tour has featured intimate atmospherics, nostalgic video backdrops, and a heartfelt multigenerational fan presence—with audiences often falling silent during their closing songs, emphasizing the emotional resonance of the evening.

As the duo winds down their touring legacy, they’ve also released Neutral Poetry: First Recordings, Unreleased Demos 2009–2010—a collection of early demos coinciding with the tour start. Joined by indie‑pop openers such as Billie Marten, Cults, Real Estate, and Hovvdy, Tennis continues to pay homage to both their beginnings and their fans. For those seeking a musical bridge after their departure, commentators suggest diving into acts like Rilo Kiley, Japanese Breakfast, or Soccer Mommy—artists who similarly balance introspection with indie-pop charm.

Subscribe to Beyond The Stage for more music news and exclusive interviews. Follow Beyond The Stage Magazine on Instagram.

Sydney Wisner
Latest posts by Sydney Wisner (see all)

Sydney Wisner

Born in Portland, but now residing in Austin, Sydney Wisner is a photographer for Beyond the Stage. After graduating from Oregon State University with a degree in graphic design and a minor in photography, as well as a couple years as a radio DJ under her belt, Sydney found a way to combine her love of photography with her love for music and has been photographing concerts for the last four years.