Some songs take rock-star swagger deadly seriously. Pembroke Tenneson’s new single “Sex Appeal” does the opposite. It cranks the volume, leans into the pose, and keeps the joke in plain sight.
The Californian singer and guitarist just released “Sex Appeal” via Now Listen, the first in a run of original tracks he has been stacking with his bandmates. Written and produced by Tenneson himself, it is billed as a storming rock song that takes a playful swipe at the pomp and self-importance that still cling to headline rock acts. The inspiration is early-1970s rock: brash, fun, a little ridiculous. Tenneson said he had to keep his tongue in his cheek and play an outrageous character, because those old bands were outrageous characters too. The recording, he added, was great fun.
That is the whole trick. “Sex Appeal” is knowingly over the top. It celebrates rock-star bravado while winking at it. You can hear the years Tenneson spent on other people’s songs in the way the track is put together. He has spent a long time performing at weddings, parties and corporate events, soaking up classic rock and pop melodies and the storytelling that comes with them. That gigging life gave him a taste for witty, well-crafted lyrics that still have something fresh to say. Now he is putting his own voice in the middle of the frame.
The musical DNA is easy to spot if you grew up on the same records. Classic rock names like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and The White Stripes sit behind the sound. For the words and the humour, he points to The Kinks, Joni Mitchell, Joe Walsh and Wheatus. That mix makes sense for a song that wants to swagger and smirk at the same time. Indie pop has room for this kind of thing right now: guitar songs that remember how big and silly rock can be, without pretending the joke is not there.
“Sex Appeal” is also the start of something bigger. Tenneson has a collection of 14 original tracks in the works. After years of playing other artists’ material in a successful event band, these releases are his chance to put his own songwriting first. First single out the door, more to follow over the coming months. That is a clean way to introduce a new chapter: one loud, self-aware rock song that tells you exactly what kind of writer he wants to be.
If you like guitar music that still believes in riffs and character, this one is worth a spin. It is not trying to reinvent the wheel. It is trying to drive the old car a little too fast and laugh about it. That is a useful move in a scene where a lot of indie pop either goes very soft or very serious. A track that knows it is being extra can feel like a relief.
What do you think of this kind of tongue-in-cheek rock energy in 2026? Does early-70s swagger still work when the singer is in on the joke? Drop a comment and tell me.
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Keep up with Pembroke Tenneson on Instagram and Facebook, stream “Sex Appeal” wherever you get music, and stay tuned. Fourteen songs is a lot of swagger to unpack.
