TV Girl is an American indie pop group that has amassed a cult following over the years. What’s worth discussing, though, is why their flavorful sound is so distinctive from other pop artists, when on paper, none of the pieces seem like they should fit together.
Immediately noticeable is the songwriting. If you choose a few TV Girl songs out of a hat, they will probably share common themes: relationships, dissatisfaction, and reminiscence. The latter helps to build narratives that are more vivid than other modern pop songs’ narratives. Each tune sounds like it’s retelling a story from the singer’s love life.
Based on their titles, you could probably guess some songs’ meanings before listening to them. “Daughter of a Cop” and “Cigarettes Out the Window” are some examples, but predictability doesn’t efface their value.
Other songs go deeper. At face value, “Taking What’s Not Yours” appears like a song about stealing—which is technically right—but it’s more about keeping your ex’s belongings after breaking up. Similarly, “Blue Hair” is about a girl with luscious blue hair, except it focuses on how she and the narrator have outgrown each other.
Ironically, for a band called “TV Girl,” all of its members are men. Some might find this controversial since the songs’ subjects are usually about girls, but Brad Petering’s somber vocals alleviate the idea of misogyny. Petering usually sounds like he’s in respite, rarely raising his voice, but he never sounds aggressive. It conveys that the narrator is horrible *with* women, rather than horrible *to* them.
Then, there are rhythm and beat. TV Girl blends upbeat and dreampop flavors, which is funny given how contradictory that is with the subject matter. However, as the saying goes: opposites attract.
“Lovers Rock,” their most iconic song, exemplifies this, as the song begins with doubts that are sprinkled throughout the romance, but it’s all to a tune that emulates the feeling of late-night love.
Lastly, there’s TV Girl’s signature sampling that acts like the cherry on top. TV Girl samples audio from television and recordings, usually to serve as a crescendo.
Given the religious theme of the album, the use of “The wine is running out!” from a sermon in “All The Way Through” fits while potentially having a second meaning about getting drunk. Similarly, it couldn’t have been more fitting to include a snippet of Richard Nixon saying, “I’m not a crook!” in “Taking What’s Not Yours.”
All of it blends to create a memorable style that borrows a little, and in return, gives a lot.
Even when hitting on different genres, TV Girl still stands tall.
“Grapes Upon the Vine” is stylized like a gospel album but feels like TV Girl talking about loving someone religiously. Jordana’s acoustic guitar and vocals in “Summer’s Over” feels like a supplement to TV Girl’s flow. TV Girl’s collaboration with George Clanton, “Fauxllenium,” feels like a psychedelic trip down memory lane.
TV Girl’s magic resonates from different ingredients that surprisingly go well together. The mix of a strong emphasis on narrative, somber vocals, instrumentals that are the antithesis of the tone, and sampling creates a brand of pop that’s unmatched and fun to dance along to.