"We’re a rock and roll band. Our main influence is being under the influence. Tunes for pouring back a few too many pints at the pub with your mates."
Santa Barbara Tennis Club bassist/vocalist Joe Soap gets the whole music descriptor thing out of the way in an email to No Echo from parts unknown, though there's something in his choice of words that revealed hints of the band's origins.
"You Yanks keep telling us we sound like IDLES just cause thats the only band they know from the UK in the last 20 years. I’d be more chuffed even with Sham 69 or whatever Oi! band, that at least feels a slight bit more like musical kinship to moi. KAMs [ed. note: band’s label KILL ALL MUSIC] been saying Amyl & the Sniffers and Spiritual Cramp for us, Bad Nerves, but we’ve been listening to a lot of Prison Affair, Lysol, Flesh Creep, Dog Date, that sort."
Wherever they're from, Joe and Santa Barbara Tennis Club recently released Out to Pasture, a 3-song EP, which followed two previous singles that also came out over the summer:
"It’s about how we were all feeling before we sodded off to California," Joe wrote. "I’m not the most caffeinated tea in the bag, and I was just flailing around making subpar choices. We’ve got another single soon that's on a similar kick.
"They say write what you know and what we know is fucking up. Stealing, dealing, disappointing mum. After that, we’re finishing up the record and maybe we’ll start branching out thematically after soaking in the sun. Likely not, though."
Now that Out to Pasture is out on streaming outlets, Santa Barbara Tennis Club are enjoying the Southern California vibes in between band duties. "We're having ourselves a prat summer. Like I mentioned, finishing up the record first off. Got a mate in the desert who's lending us a big hand there (thanks again, Thom!). Sweating our bollocks off out here, not used to all this sun.
"And we’re doing the DIY circuit around the southwest US off and on, come out and see us, buy a shirt and bum us a ciggie. If that goes well, loads more shows, splits with some mates, world domination. If that all goes balls up, probably some half-arsed heist and then jail or deportation or something."
***
Santa Barbara Tennis Club's music is available via Kill All Music.
Tagged: santa barbara tennis club
