Tennis 30, haters love

The middle of January comes off as an odd release date for Tennis’ debut album “Cape Dory.” It’s a musical encapsulation of an eight-month sabbatical of husband and wife group Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore along the Atlantic Coast — not exactly Justin Vernon spending three months in the Wisconsin winter.

Where Vernon and Bon Iver offer comfort in the face of sadness, the pair’s surf-pop inspire bliss and lightheartedness. Similar to current lo-fi peers Best Coast and Smith Westerns, Tennis borrows heavily from ’60s pop royalty, this time utilizing girl group melodies and Phil Spector-style sound.

Plodding basslines hold the swooning vocals of Moore and equally groovy guitar bits in place on ballads like “Pigeon” and “Bimini Bay.” It’s the easiest kind of listening — cool, cozy pop music.

Even on the most upbeat tracks (single “Marathon,” “Baltimore”), Moore’s charming vocals keep “Dory” quite grounded, with added keyboards or percussion for flavor.

“Dory”’s blueprints were that of a hobby, a project from two former musicians to express a journey. For that reason, it’s a little single-minded, but it’s genuine and really quite lovely. Simplicity works here, maybe because Tennis doesn’t really care one way or another.