song: "Tennis (I Feel OK)" - Gum Country

In the midst of all this shit, there’s very few moments of complete joy and escape. On the latest single from Gum Country — which features Courtney Garvin of The Courtneys and multi-instrumentalist Connor Mayer — Garvin reflects on the escapism present in tennis.

Given current circumstances, and how there’s so little to do — aside from to continue contemplating a future of continued dread and find comfort in the small things — “Tennis (I Feel OK)” is a fuzzy, jaunty breath of fresh air. Self-described as harsh twee, the band makes good on their identity, with vocals tinged in fuzz, a set of keys, and a lot of static. It’s a blown out sunny daydream to get lost in, imagining a day in which you can head to the court, leave your worries behind, and whack a tennis ball about until you tire.

At the end of it all, you’re left with a mantra from Garvin hat’s more spoken than sung — “I feel OK.” It’s hard to tell or know if anyone is feeling even relatively OK in these times, but for the entirety of this single, you can at least pretend.

The single appears on Somewhere out June 19.