| Pollen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 10, 2023 | |||
| Genre | Pop [1] | |||
| Length | 35:23 | |||
| Label | Mutually Detrimental | |||
| Producer |
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| Tennis studio albums chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pollen | ||||
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Pollen is the sixth studio album by the musical duo Tennis, released via their own label Mutually Detrimental on February 10, 2023. [2] It was preceded by the singles "One Night with the Valet", [3] "Let's Make a Mistake Tonight", [4] and "Forbidden Doors". [5] The album received acclaim from critics.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 76/100 [6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [8] |
| Gigwise |   [9] |
| Pitchfork | 6.7/10 [10] |
| Slant Magazine |  [11] |
Pollen received a score of 76 out of 100 based on seven critics' reviews on review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [6] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Tim Sendra opined that Pollen's main point of difference in Tennis' catalogue is its "occasional distorted guitar, a little more bump in the rhythm section, and overall punchier production" and that while the "small deviations might feel drastic at first, [...] the sum of the parts is still as pleasant as ever once the album ends". [7]
Everett Amber Ellis of Exclaim! found the album, along with its predecessor Swimmer , to be "indebted to the sparkle of the '80s—albeit the more restrained and sophisticated side of a decade infamous for its more gaudy tastes", and "front-heavy as most Tennis albums are", writing that its "highlights lie largely in its singles". [8] Evie Gower of Gigwise described the album as "filled to the brim with dream pop synthesisers and a melding of strings, a mixture of classical and contemporary components that make Alaina Moore's voice as ethereal as ever", as well as a "funky backdrop of various instruments and vocal tones" with lyrics that feel like "a love letter to the highs and lows of life". [9]
Eric Mason of Slant Magazine wrote that Moore and Riley "take one step closer to the present by interspersing their 20th-century callbacks with nods to turn-of-the-millennium pop-rock" on Pollen, finding the "common thread" that ties the album's songs together is "escapism, whether it be the isolation of the open sea or the insular behind-the-scenes goings on of a hotel". [11] Adlan Jackson of Pitchfork felt that the duo's "persistent melodies quiver with the same earnestness as always, and their self-production continues to hit its stride", elaborating that "the overall airiness on Pollen gives the sense that Tennis are continuing to have a blast making music that glides from one hook to the next." [10]
All tracks are written by and produced by Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forbidden Doors" | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Glorietta" | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Let's Make a Mistake Tonight" | 4:14 |
| 4. | "One Night with the Valet" | 1:53 |
| 5. | "Pollen Song" | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Hotel Valet" | 3:54 |
| 7. | "Paper" | 3:00 |
| 8. | "Gibraltar" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Never Been Wrong" | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Pillow for a Cloud" | 3:11 |
| Total length: | 35:23 | |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Album Sales ( Billboard ) [12] | 65 |
The nine meticulously crafted pop songs on this album come across light and breezy
