Tennis System

Indie rock act Tennis System began as a loud but dreamy four-piece band in the Washington, D.C. area around 2008. The group was originally made up of guitarist/songwriter Matty Taylor, bassist Clinton Cole, second guitarist Brad Fullilove, and drummer Misha Bullock. Tennis System played around their area often, developing a noise pop sound thick with hazy guitar sounds borrowed from luminaries like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, but also a gritty undercurrent to the songwriting attributable to the tough environments that gave birth to the legendary D.C. hardcore scene. The group opened for touring bands such as Ty Segal and Pains of Being Pure at Heart and recorded 2010's The Future of Our History before Fullilove and Cole moved on later that year. At an impasse, and ready to make a full album of the songs they'd been developing with their former bandmates, Taylor and Bullock relocated to Los Angeles, where they met guitarist Christopher Norman and bassist Marcus Russell Price. In a new city with a new energy from their new lineup, Tennis System self-released Teenagers in late 2011 and did some touring, gaining a following through festival appearances and the occasional online single. In 2013, the group worked with L.A. tastemakers Part Time Punks for the release of a five-song EP entitled Part Time Punks Session, which included raw re-recordings of some of the band's earlier material. The signed up with Papercup Music for their second album, 2014's Technicolour Blind.