Good pop music is a hard addiction to kick. A well delivered pop album can be equivalent to the first time shooting up heroin (Just to be clear, I’ve never shot up herion. I’m free…I’m drug free! BOOYA!).

That being said, I was completely consumed by last year’s cutesy synth-pop album “Cape Dory” by husband and wife musical duo Tennis. It was full of soft cords, mellow rhythmic sections and a petite unifying voice from lead singer Alaina Moore.Though the album’s simplicity worked (as it was based on the couples summer boating trip) it was also chuck-full of indie-pop gimmicks that have been known to make and break bands of this indie genre.

Sometimes the idea gets tired and the same old tricks don’t work anymore. Sometimes the gimmick get discovered immediately and BOOM!! just like that, your band hit the bricks hard and it’s curtains for any hopes of a successful career  (a good example of that would be Lana Del Rey’s career). Tennis, a band chuck full of indie-pop gimmicks is walking this line between masterful and disaster. I was expecting to call the duo out on their new LP, “Young & Old” for falling back into that cute poppy bullshit all over again. To my surprise, it was their cute songs that worked the best.

Don’t get me wrong, “Young & Old” is in no way a carbon copy of “Cape Dory”. With producer Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, adding his special touch to this album, Tennis seems to be more diverse per song. Carney creates an atmosphere in every track using scrappy synth and low fidelity guitar riffs, yet the best songs are always the ones that are uncomplicated and overly cute. It’s still what works the best for Tennis. The gimmick is successful and, at the same time, confirms that Tennis is far more prominent than any other current indie pop collective (The Weepies, The Blow, Jay May, Summer Camp, Twin Sister, Best Coast, etc.).

It may be silly or corny but, hey, it’s an addiction… a pop addiction. You douches can feel free to hate all you want, but ‘well done’ indie pop music is awesome. It’s a sugary candy that’ll rot out your teeth if you overdo it, and Tennis’ “Young & Old”, though sugary as hell, doesn’t overdo it. They manage it well and throw a little curve ball to keeps the taste fresh and fulfilling. Damn it, it’s pretty damn sweet. I’m gonna go brush my teeth.