From the moment the music video for “Tennis Club” by Talltale opens, it’s clear this isn’t your average breakup song. Backed by sparkly synths and moody visuals worthy of the iconic 2014 Tumblr era, “Tennis Club” presents a love story that’s more than meets the eye.
With tennis puns galore (such as “love means nothing,” as in, a tennis score of zero), expert songwriting, and sleek production, this end-of-summer tune is the perfect lead-in to autumn. The 80s synth-pop vibe creates a cozy, upbeat energy that cushions the song’s deeper themes of heartbreak and loneliness. And the video captures just that with its humorous take on tennis and shimmery aesthetic that matches the song’s sound.
Talltale, a seasoned Canadian songwriter with credits in the K-pop and J-pop sphere, has garnered success across platforms with over 330K streams as an indie artist. Her unique, distinctly recognizable vocals and lyrical agility have established Talltale as an artist to watch as she continues to grow, and I was lucky enough to chat with her about all things “Tennis Club” and songwriting.
KEKE MAGAZINE: If you could introduce yourself and your music in 3 words, what would they be?
TALLTALE: Honest, smart, and introspective.
KM: “Tennis Club” is such an unconventional breakup song in the best way. Without listening to the lyrics, it sounds so upbeat. Do you have any favorite unconventional breakup anthems?
T: That’s probably my favourite genre of music! I think a couple of my faves have to be “Sucks to See You Doing Better” by Valley (the bridge will rip your heart out lyrically while you’re still dancing, I love it), “In a Dream” by Troye Sivan, and “Love Me” by Felix Cartal and Lights.
KM: Was the 80s synth-pop vibe of “Tennis Club” a conscious choice, or how did you arrive at that sound?
T: Yes, absolutely! That’s a genre I’ve always loved. Last summer when I was finishing my last album, I would go on jogs every night at golden hour while listening to music, and a song I always played was “Sunset” by The Midnight. It’s got big 80s movie montage vibes, and I was thinking that it would be fun to lean into that sound a little more for an upcoming song, which ended up being “Tennis Club!”
KM: Do you play tennis IRL? What was shooting the “Tennis Club” music video like?
T: I absolutely do not, so the shots where I’m supposed to be bad at tennis were very easy, haha. But shooting the music video was so fun! I did all the night-time training montage shots in one evening with my friend Bailey Sutton doing videography and Laurel Clouston assisting, and then the next day I shot the rest of the video with a few of my guy friends coming to play the part of the tennis club. The lead is Michael Vetsch, a wonderful actor from Edmonton! The rest of the guys are mostly drummer friends of mine from when I did a drum degree in university, so it was really fun to see them act. They all played tennis a little bit which also made things easier. Mike even spontaneously choreographed the little dance at the end that all the guys agreed to do on the spot! They’re truly the best.
KM: I read that you self-produce your visuals! What’s that process like? Do you have a clear vision during the writing process?
T: I do! I usually picture the video while writing the song – it doesn’t affect how the song is written, but they’ve always just come really naturally hand in hand for me! Sometimes it’s a very clear video concept, like with “Tennis Club,” and sometimes it’s more of a vibe, mood, and colors that I then need to think on to expand into something more concrete visually.
KM: Speaking of songwriting, what does it look like for you in terms of lyrics, melodies, and everything else that goes into it? Where do you begin? Do you have any rituals or habits?
T: It’s changed throughout the years, which I think is a good thing! I think you get different results depending on what instrument you write on, who you write with, if you start with a title or with a melody, etc. I generally prefer to have a title or topic in mind when I go to write. Sometimes I’ll have a clear musical idea as a start, but even then the next thing I need to do is figure out what the song is about, otherwise, I feel like the music and lyrics can feel disconnected. So I keep a running notes app on my phone of ideas or cool words, and usually when a track gets going, one of those lyric ideas in my notes will feel right!
KM: You’ve worked with collaborators Father Bobby Townsend and Laur Elle before – what was it like working on “Tennis Club” with them?
T: This time around was cool because they came in towards the end of the song to help me finish it! I wrote this song with Mike Bilenki: all of the lyrics, some melodies, and he did a production demo of it that sounds super similar to the final version. Then Laur Elle helped me finish writing melodies and Father Bobby Townsend helped to polish off the production and fit it in with my sound. I don’t think this song could’ve happened the other way around since it was kind of born of my love of cheesy pop music and both of them have much too cool taste to have written it with me from scratch, haha.
KM: How has your work writing for K-pop and J-pop artists made an impact on you as an artist?
T: It’s been so great because it allows me to think and write outside of the American pop music format. You can also be so much denser melodically and harmonically, and the vocal harmonies are generally way, way thicker, and all of that has really helped to better me as a writer!
KM: How do you approach songwriting and vulnerability? Does it get easier?
T: I think it gets harder! I should know better by now, but the more vulnerable I am, the more I think no one is going to relate to what I’m saying. When I wrote my song “26,” I sincerely thought nobody was going to understand how I was feeling. I got embarrassed and almost trashed the song, but Laur Elle and Father Bobby convinced me it was worth putting out, and lo and behold, it’s my highest streaming song and I still get messages to this day of people saying it really touched them or how it put into words how they were feeling.
KM: As a writer, your stage name Talltale stands out to me! Writing fiction is kind of like creating tall tales from real-life experiences – does that come into play with songwriting for you? Did that play a role in why you chose your stage name?
T: You absolutely nailed it. I chose the name because – especially in my earlier years as a songwriter – I felt like songwriting was about taking a feeling or story and exaggerating it to make it the most visceral version of itself. When I was a kid, if I was telling a story and I felt peoples’ attention waning, I would start exaggerating to keep them interested. Awful habit, but it’s how I still sort of approach songwriting! I kind of view it as exaggerated honesty.
KM: What music did you listen to in your childhood or teenage years that began your journey with music and led you to “Tennis Club”?
T: The first album I ever owned was the Backstreet Boys “Millennium” cassette tape. My parents are Serbian immigrants, so all I’d really listened to before then was Serbian folk and pop music. I entirely missed out on classic rock and bands like The Beatles. So pop music is really what’s informed my tastes for as long as I can remember. Then the first electronic-pop record I truly fell in love with was Owl City’s “Ocean Eyes.” That record honestly changed my life. I didn’t know music could sound like that and take you to an entirely different world sonically and lyrically! Soon after, I discovered LIGHTS, whom I definitely still follow and admire now all these years later, and Imogen Heap, who I think is a remarkable producer and writer. Those artists really got me into synths and production, and I hugely credit them for the artist I am!
KM: Lastly, where do you go from here musically? Is there anything you want to try?
T: I think next I’m going to be leaning more into the electronic side of my music! More EDM and hyperpop influences. I’ve also always wanted to blend orchestral instruments with electronic sounds, and I think that feels right for my next record!
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