TV Girl

American indie pop band

TV Girl

TV Girl performing in 2017

Background information
Origin| San Diego, California, U.S.
Genres| Indie pop[1]
Years active| 2010–present
Members|

* Brad Petering
* Jason Wyman
* Wyatt Harmon

Past members|

* Trung Ngo
* Joel Williams
* Dan Komin
* Brayden Patterson

Website| americasfavoriteindieband.com

TV Girl is an American indie pop band from San Diego, California, consisting of Brad Petering, Jason Wyman, and Wyatt Harmon.[2][3]

The band released its first three EPs in 2010 and a mixtape in 2012. It followed this with its debut album, French Exit, in 2014. Their second album, Who Really Cares, was released in 2016, with further albums following in 2018 (Death of a Party Girl) and 2023 (Grapes Upon the Vine), alongside collaborative albums and EPs.

Starting in 2022, the band gained a following through the social media app TikTok. This led to a number of their songs, most notably "Lovers Rock" entering the charts in multiple countries throughout 2023, years after their initial release.[4]

## History

[edit]

TV Girl was formed in San Diego in 2010, by friends Trung Ngo and Brad Petering as a leisure activity with no particular ambition other than experimenting and hanging out.[5] That same year, the band released their self-titled debut EP, which attracted attention when they sampled Todd Rundgren's 1973 solo version of "Hello It's Me" on their song "If You Want It" from the EP,[6][7] leading to a takedown notice on the band, issued by Rhino Entertainment, who owns full rights to the Rundgren song.[8]

In 2011, the band released their second EP of four tracks, Benny and the Jetts, along with a music video for "Baby You Were There" from the EP.[9] At the time of release, Joel Williams had also joined the band.[5]

In April 2012, TV Girl released the single "I Wonder Who She's Kissing Now",[10] which would be part of their first mixtape The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle, released a month later. The mixtape was given away for free with an accompanying downloadable coloring book.[11][12] The release would have constituted their debut album, but according to Petering and Ngo the work was more appropriately defined as a mixtape.[2]

In 2013, they released the single "She Smokes in Bed", which would be part of TV Girl's third EP Lonely Women.[13][14] That same year, TV Girl underwent a pivotal change when Ngo had left the band, leaving Petering as its sole member. Petering, formerly focused on beats, seamlessly embraced the role of primary vocalist following Ngo's departure. Soon thereafter, Jason Wyman and Wyatt Harmon joined forces with Petering.[5][15]

In 2014, TV Girl released their debut album French Exit, which was called "remarkably solid" by Bandwagon Magazine.[15]

## Artistry

[edit]

### Influences

[edit]

TV Girl frequently samples songs and media from the 1960s in their music. An example of this is seen in the song "Lovers Rock", where the backing track is created from a looped sample of the intro to The Shirelles' 1960 single "The Dance is Over". In a post to Reddit, Petering writes he "..never gets tired of seeking out old and obscure music. I listen to lots of music and I find my loops and sounds that way."[16]

### Musical style and songwriting

[edit]

The band employs a genre not easily defined, with major inspiration from sampledelia, indie pop, lo-fi and electronic music found in most of their works (apparent in albums French Exit, Who Really Cares, Death of a Party Girl and Summer's Over), while taking on more trip-hop-like elements in other works (found especially within Who Really Cares and Maddie Acid's Purple Hearts Club Band), and in some cases, more mainstream characteristics related to gospel, garage house, funk and even jazz (specific to Grapes Upon the Vine). Altogether, the band proclaims themself as a "hypnotic pop" group,[17] due to their use of sampling, keyboards, and reverb effects.[18][19] The band was upset when their music was labeled "sun-drenched California pop," pointing out that there are no lyrical allusions in their music that warrant the title.[2]

Lyrically, a majority of TV Girl's discography revolves around love and ships. One example of this tendency is the song "Lovers Rock", a love ballad named after the reggae sub-genre of lovers' rock. Their subject matter is nostalgic and sad, but simultaneously sarcastic and humorous.[2] Some motifs in the band's lyrics include heartbreak, cynicism, memories, cigarettes, hair, sex, women's first names, and loneliness.

### Branding

[edit]

TV Girl's album art incorporates the colour blocking of images from the 1960s and 70s (such as The Classic Nude by George Hester for Who Really Cares). The use of vibrant colouring has become a key part of TV Girl's identity.

## Members

[edit]

### Current members

[edit]

* Brad Petering – lead vocals (2010–present)
* Wyatt Harmon – keyboards
* Jason Wyman – drums

### Former members

[edit]

* Trung Ngo – vocals (2010 – 2013)
* Joel Williams – vocals (2010 - 2013)
* Dan Komin

### Touring members

[edit]

* Zoe Zeeman – bass (2022–present)[20]
* Jordana Nye – bass, backing vocals (2021–present)[21]

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions  Title  | Album details  | Peak chart positions

|
|

AUS
[22] | LTU
[23] | POL
[24]
French Exit |

* Released: June 5, 2014[25]
* Label: Self-released
* Format: LP, digital download, streaming

| 19 | 26 | —
Who Really Cares |

* Released: February 26, 2016[26]
* Label: Self-released
* Format: LP, digital download, streaming

| 13 | 6 | 67
Death of a Party Girl |

* Released: May 8, 2018[27]
* Label: Self-released
* Format: LP, digital download, streaming

| — | — | —
Grapes Upon the Vine |

* Released: June 30, 2023[28]
* Label: Self-released
* Format: LP, digital download, streaming

| — | — | —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

### Mixtapes

[edit]

List of mixtapes, with selected details  Title  | Details

|

The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle |

* Released: May 4, 2012
* Label: Greedhead Music
* Format: Digital download, streaming

### Collaborative albums

[edit]

List of collaborative albums, with selected details  Title  | Details

|

Maddie Acid's Purple Hearts Club Band
(with Madison Acid) |

* Released: February 27, 2018
* Label: Self-released
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Summer's Over
(with Jordana) |

* Released: October 13, 2021
* Label: Grand Jury Music
* Format: Digital download, streaming

### Demo albums

[edit]

List of demo albums, with selected details  Title  | Details

|

Blurry Girls (Demos, Unreleased Songs, and Other Ephemera)[29] |

* Released: June 21, 2012
* Label: Self-published
* Format: Digital download, streaming

### Extended plays

[edit]

List of extended plays, with selected details  Title  | Details

|

TV Girl |

* Released: October 21, 2010
* Label: Self-published
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Benny and the Jetts |

* Released: July 25, 2011
* Label: Self-published
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Lonely Women |

* Released: June 18, 2013
* Label: Self-published
* Format: Digital download, streaming

The Night In Question: French Exit Outtakes |

* Released: May 1, 2020
* Label: Self-published
* Format: Digital download, streaming

### Singles

[edit]

List of songs, with year released and album  Title  | Year  | Album  | Notes

|
|
|

"Girls Like Me"  | 2011  | Non-album singles  |
"Sarah (Meet Me in the Sauna)"  |
"Diet-Coke"  | 2012  |
"I Wonder Who She's Kissing Now"  |
"She Smokes In Bed"  | 2013  |
"Average Guy (Blame)"
(with Monster Rally) | [a]
"Natalie Wood"  | 2015  |

### Other charted and certified songs

[edit]

List of songs, with year released, selected chart positions, certifications and album  Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Certifications | Album

|
|
|
|

Bub.
[30] | US
Rock
[31] | CAN
[32] | CIS
[33] | EST
[33] | IRE
[34] | LTU
[35] | LAT
[33] | UK
[36] | UK
Indie
[37]
"Lovers Rock"  | 2014  | — | 13 | 90 | 149 | 126 | 82 | 35 | 101 | 84 | 27  |

* BPI: Silver[38]

| French Exit
"Cigarettes Out the Window"  | 2016  | 20 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | — | 46  |

* BPI: Silver[38]

| Who Really Cares
"Not Allowed"  | 4 | 13 | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | 34  |

* BPI: Gold[38]

"Blue Hair"  | 2018  | — | 11 | — | — | — | 95 | 99 | — | — | 35  |

* BPI: Silver[38]

| Death of a Party Girl
"Better in the Dark"
(with Jordana) | 2021  | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |  | Summer's Over
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory

### Produced albums

[edit]

* Posthumous Release (2013) (by Coma Cinema)[39]
* Ace of Tre (2023) (by Varial Heel)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "Average Guy (Blame)" was released on streaming platforms in 2023.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew (March 2, 2023). "The Weeknd & Ariana Grande Hope for No. 1 With 'Die for You' Remix". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
2. ^ a b c d Taylor, John (August 9, 2012). "Discovery: TV Girl". Interview Magazine. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
3. ^ Abrams, Jonny. "Interview: TV Girl". Rocksucker. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
4. ^ Smoot, Donnavan (March 28, 2023). "TikTokers discuss complexities of friendship with trending 'in their eyes' audio". In The Know.
5. ^ a b c Courtney, James. "What Comes After Chillwave? California's TV Girl". San Antonio Current. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
6. ^ "If You Want It". Pitchfork. October 22, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
7. ^ "TV Girl – Apple Music". Retrieved October 3, 2023 - via Apple Music.
8. ^ Crain, William (December 21, 2021). "Beats and Samples: TV Girl". San Diego Reader. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
9. ^ Singh, Amrit (July 28, 2011). "Download TV Girl's Benny And The Jetts EP". Stereogum. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
10. ^ Goble, Corban (April 6, 2012). "TV Girl – "I Wonder Who She's Kissing Now"". Stereogum. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
11. ^ Goble, Corban (May 4, 2012). "Download TV Girl's The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle Mixtape". Stereogum. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
12. ^ Pearis, Bill (May 7, 2012). "stream or download TV Girl's new "mixtape"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
13. ^ Goble, Corban (May 22, 2013). "TV Girl – "She Smokes In Bed"". Stereogum. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
14. ^ Pearis, Bill (June 19, 2013). "stream TV Girl's new EP, 'Loney Women'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
15. ^ a b Sheridan, Christopher (September 12, 2014). "Album Review: Tv Girl – French Exit". Bandwagon Magazine. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
16. ^ Petering, Brad. "Brad from Hit Band TV Girl, ask me anything". Reddit. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
17. ^ "TV Girl". Spotify. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
18. ^ Medlock, Dylan (June 4, 2018). "TV Girl plays it frustratingly safe". The B-Side. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
19. ^ Ramirez, Julian (October 13, 2017). "A Night of Electronic Excellence at Beat Kitchen with TV Girl". Third Coast Review. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
20. ^ "Music in the Genes; Fathers and Daughters Inspire Each Other". The Vineyard Gazette – Martha's Vineyard News. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
21. ^ "Jordana and TV Girl at Metro". wnur.org. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
22. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
23. ^ Peaks on the Lithuanian Albums chart:
* French Exit: "2024 2-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. January 12, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
* Who Really Cares: "2024 1-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
24. ^ ""OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy"" (Note: Change the date to 05.01.2024–11.01.2024 under "zmień zakres od–do:".). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. October 6, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
25. ^ "French Exit | TV Girl". Bandcamp. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
26. ^ "Who Really Cares | TV Girl". Bandcamp. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
27. ^ "Death of a Party Girl | TV Girl". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
28. ^ "Grapes Upon the Vine | TV Girl". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
29. ^ "Blurry Girls (Demos, Unreleased Songs, and Other Ephemera) by TV Girl" - via Genius.
30. ^ Peaks on the Bubbling Under Hot 100:
* "Cigarettes Out the Window": "Bubbling Under Hot 100: Week of December 30, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
* "Not Allowed": "Bubbling Under Hot 100: Week of January 27, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
31. ^ Peaks on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart:
* "Lovers Rock": "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: January 27, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
* "Not Allowed" and "Cigarettes Out the Window": "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: December 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
* "Blue Hair": "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: May 27, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
* "Better in the Dark": "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: May 25, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
32. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of January 20, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
33. ^ a b c "TV Girl - TopHit - Highway To Airplay". TopHit. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
34. ^ "Discography TV Girl". irish-charts.com. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
35. ^ Peaks in Lithuania:
* "Lovers Rock": "2023 47-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
* "Not Allowed": "2024 2-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
* "Cigarettes Out the Window": "2023 50-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
* "Blue Hair": "2023 11-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
36. ^ "TV Girl". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
37. ^ Peaks in UK Independent Singles Chart:
* "Lovers Rock": "Lovers Rock – TV Girl – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
* "Blue Hair": "Blue Hair – TV Girl – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
* "Not Allowed": "Not Allowed – TV Girl – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
* "Cigarettes Out the Window": "Cigarettes Out the Window – TV Girl – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
38. ^ a b c d "British certifications – TV Girl". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 31, 2024. Type TV Girl in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
39. ^ "Posthumous Release, by Coma Cinema". Retrieved July 28, 2023 - via Bandcamp.

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