Tennyson

Canadian musician Tennyson, aka Luke Tennyson Pretty, makes intricately designed electronic pop distinguished by its creative, sample-heavy arrangements. Joined by his sister Tess, who drums during live performances and occasionally appears on recordings, Tennyson's music started out as glitchy downtempo before evolving into the more playful, jazz-influenced sound of 2015's Like What EP. Tennyson surfaced on OWSLA with the more danceable 2017 EP Uh Oh!, then explored a more melancholy downtempo sound with more vocal-driven releases like 2022's Rot, his full-length debut for Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records.

Luke and Tess Pretty grew up in Edmonton, and were encouraged to make music by their father when they were kids. Luke took up keyboards and Tess played drums, and they learned to play Beatles and Prince covers, which they would perform near an ice cream stand in their hometown. They later moved on to jazz and blues covers, while Luke started making electronic music on his own. After his sample-heavy creations started earning a following online, the two formed Tennyson in order to perform the songs live. The 2012 release Tennyson featured a dream pop tune sung by Tess as well as a rework of a Boards of Canada track. An EP titled Blamer appeared at the end of the year, and further singles such as "With You" (Tennyson's first vinyl release) and "You're Cute" followed. By the time of 2015's Like What, Tennyson's sound had become sophisticated and playful, but with traces of melancholy. The EP gained Tennyson a wider audience, and they began performing for larger crowds, landing sets at festivals like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.

In 2016, Tennyson collaborated with Skrillex on a remix of his song "Stranger." "Your Eyes," featuring singer Njomza, was issued by Skrillex's OWSLA imprint, and the EP Uh Oh!, with a guest appearance by Aloe Blacc, followed in 2017. Tennyson also worked with beatmaker Mr. Carmack on a trio of tracks, Tuesday Wednesday Thursday, with BJ the Chicago Kid guesting on the last one. Additional singles preceded the self-issued 2019 EP Different Water and the same year's Telescope, released by Ninja Tune sublabel Counter Records. Both releases placed a greater emphasis on Luke's gentle vocals, and were generally less quirky than some of the project's previous work. A few further singles, remixes, and collaborations led up to the release of Rot, Tennyson's proper debut album, which appeared in 2022. Mainly sung by Luke, the full-length also featured singer/songwriter Rae Morris on the song "Slow Dance." ~ Paul Simpson