TV Girl’s Hidden Gems

It's annoying how any song/artist that goes viral on TikTok suddenly becomes labeled as "TikTok Music," and now it's uncool to have that as your favourite song or artist. Of course, it attracts posers, but it also attracts new, devoted fans. Nobody ever says they found a song/artist from TikTok because (certain) people will assume you only like them because it's a trend, or because it went viral on TikTok. SOME people who liked the band before they went viral start calling new people 'newgens' and play 20 questions to prove you're a real fan 💀. It's like how nobody says they got into Formula One from Drive To Survive, because they'll get absolutely dog-piled on. Unrelated, but it highlights the weird snobbery around discovery, and it's literally the same thing in music 😭✌. 

TV Girl is, unfortunately, a victim of the TikTok music allegations. They went viral on TikTok in 2021 (?) from their songs Not Allowed, Blue Hair, and Lover's Rock, and then again in 2024 for Taking What's Not Yours and Cigarettes out the Window. Now, that's basically all they're known for, aside from the other popular songs off their albums Who Really Cares and French Exit. I wish people would take a closer look at their discography, because they have some really cool stuff hidden from Spotify and the eyes of TikTok.

I got into TV Girl around 2023 from finally taking a good listen to Not Allowed. I remember I used to skip that song when it showed up on my Spotify shuffle because of the opening lines, "Now you suck/you wanna talk about sex, but you're not allowed" LOL. I thought it was silly, but I was wrong. This was the start of the entry into a huge TV Girl discography rabbit hole. And man, there are a lot of great songs out there that receive no attention because they're not on Spotify lol. You actually have to go digging for them.

Because of that, it seems to me that most of their listeners listen to songs off French Exit and Who Really Cares. While those albums are great, they represent a specific era/vibe. They are truly missing out on the band's fuller and more experimental sound hidden elsewhere! Here, I'll list my favourite underrated TV Girl songs from all eras, including personas (bloodbath64 and Maddie Acid) and past bands (The Movers & The Shakers). 

Also, I won't be including Our First 2 EPs and Our First 3 EPs because they are compilation albumsof individual EPS. The singles will be included in Singles & Oddities.

I. The Foundational Sound (Early era TV Girl)

Note on the Vocals: A common thing you'll notice in these early songs is the presence of Trung Ngo, the ex-TV Girl singer. His distinctive voice carries many of the pre-French Exit tracks. Coincidentally, they are the best ones 😔. He sadly left the band shortly after the French Exit era to pursue skateboarding. Trung Ngo, come back, pls. Your voice is beautiful 🙏💔.
(!) I'll mark every song that has Trung singing the lead vocals with a [T].

The Movers & The Shakers (Band + self-titled album circa <2010)

no album cover :(

 ‣ 1 of these songs (Museum) can be found in the Blurry Girls: Demos, Unreleased Songs, and Other Ephemera album, but these are from a distinct project from before the TV Girl name was fully formed. So, I want to give them their own little section lol. 

1. Headlines [T]. Insane opener. You will get some whiplash because... no samples?!? Guitars? And omg I LOVE it. I'm someone who listens to more indie and rock bands, so, naturally, I would gravitate towards this version of TV Girl. I realized that much of their vocal composition stayed the same in later songs, and the only drastic difference is the instrumentation. Live band here!

2. Museum [T]. You see, I really wish they kept this sound throughout TV Girl. I'm confident there is actually no sampling, and everything was composed with live instruments, which is kinda hard to believe when you know TV Girl loves their samples. The backing vocals level up the song alongside the instruments. I really like the lack of DAW being used in their early stuff.

3. Don't Kill Yourself [T]. "Don't kill yourself, baby/not while I'm around" "Don't kill yourself, baby/'cause it's too hard to clean." bro 😭 But those guitars!! Oh my god. I mourn this genre of TV Girl and their past band.

Here's the full album! I cannot stress how much I need people to listen to this.

Blurry Girls: Demos, Unreleased Songs, and Other Ephemera (circa 2012)

1. Low Signal [T] kind of reminds me of a TM&TS song, and I'm surprised it wasn't. Probably because of the live instruments again. I love the bassline here, and it makes this one of my favourite TV Girl songs. This is so funny because I can barely hear bass like this in TV Girl songs. 

2. If You Want It (Alternate Demo Version) [T] is miles better than the original lmao. The pianos make the song sound way more mellow. It's a bit slow at the start, but it picks up when the beats kick in after the first chorus.

3. Easier To Cry (Acoustic Video Edit) [T]'s minimal instrumental and Trung's vocals really bring out the meaning of the lyrics: someone who is suicidal but finds it easier to cry about her problems than to die. I like this version, and I find it more emotional because it's acoustic.

II. Mixtapes and Extended Plays Before the Albums

TV Girl (2010)

  ‣ TV Girl's first official extended play!

1. It's Not Something [T] is my all-time favourite TV Girl track. I'm surprised that most people who do know about it actually aren't big fans of it 😔. The sample is gorgeous, and Trung's vocals bring so much life to the song. The ending with the backing vocals overlapping with the lyric, "No, it never was," is beautiful and my favourite part. It's a whole vibe throughout, and it's surprisingly consistent.

Benny and the Jetts (2011)

 

1. Benny and the Jetts. I think both Brad and Trung are the lead vocals here, with Brad's voice being slightly louder and the main star. Brad's voice is more monotone, and Trung's more dynamic voice balances it out well! The outro where Brad sings "To Benny and the Jets" repeatedly while Trung's backing vocals overlap, singing "She'll love for an instant but/how quickly she forgets/and all you'll really capture is/that feeling in your chest/well, I ain't no poet/but I'll try like all the rest" is BEAUTIFUL. It reminds me of the outro to It's Not Something.

2. Baby You Were There [T] is one of their shortest songs at 1:39 minutes. I like how Trung does something new with his voice in each verse. The pitch changes are my favourite part.

The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle (2012)

  ‣ TV Girl's debut mixtape! And seriously, one of their best work.

1. I Wonder Who She's Kissing Now [T] God, this song is a banger. AND I KNOW BANGERS. Trung's singing is gorgeous and brings so much life to this song. The chorus is like a better version of Baby You Were There. Just the right amount of "I wonder who she's kissing now" and instrumental. The sample is utilized very well!

I love how Brad plays the bass in the live (I think) version of the song, and it's a lot more prominent here. Brad, please play more bass!! There's also a music video that no one knows of for some reason 💀.

2. On The Fence [T]. The transition from the previous track on the mixtape (TV In The Bedroom) to this one is seamless. I love it. I love the use of the Anna (Go To Him) sample by The Beatles, and how slowing it down makes the song sound kind of... ominous?

3. All a Dream may start slowly, but it's actually a build-up for a drop at the end, which just seals it all together. Loads of samples are used there lmao. Eventually, the drop ends, and it transitions into a faded-out version of the opening track Keep Me Distracted. It's a great full-circle moment and makes All a Dream a fantastic album closer.

Lonely Women (2013)

 ‣ The only extended play with Trung's lead vocals added to Spotify :(

1. She Smokes in Bed [T]'s intro has gotta be one of TV Girl's best intros. Full volume headphones, and you will ascend into heaven immediately. 

2. Laura [T]. I love the genius lyric breakdown by TV Girl themselves lol. The piano is goofy as hell, but it's a fun part of the song.

III. The Big Three

French Exit (2014)

 ‣ TV Girl's debut album! They have some very strong debuts.

1. Daughter of a Cop is one of the rare TV Girl songs with a distinct bass, and that's the reason why I love this song. You can search "Daughter of a Cop bass cover" on YouTube, and you'd actually get results. That's how insane that is 😭. Unfortunately, the bass is sampled from I'll Take You There by The Staple Singers, but it's still groovy! Both the original song and "Daughter of a Cop" are top-tier songs.

You can find more samples TV Girl has used right here!

2. The Getaway. Love the Sampling here. It's chill and something you'd listen to in the background while multitasking.

Who Really Cares (2016)

1. 'Till You Tell Me to Leave has one of TV Girl's best outros. Like All a Dream, it starts off slow, but it's actually a buildup for a drop at the end. It's less intense than All a Dream, but the beats are awesome. "What good are words?/what good are words?" 🙏. It reminds me of that meme of the miner who turns around before reaching diamonds.

2. (Do The Act) Like You Never Met Me is TV Girl's most danceable track. I was actually very surprised to see that it's one of the least-streamed tracks on the album. The instrumental is so good that it makes you shimmy involuntarily. It's top 3 instead of bottom 3 for sure!

3. For You. The repeated "for you"s in the chorus may be a bit annoying to some, but the instrumental makes up for it. The verses are some of my favourites in the album, and it has some callbacks to Not Allowed. It could be a sequel or just a reprise lol. 

Some lyrics in this song can throw people off, like this chorus, "Excuse me miss, but isn't this/your naked body in my bed?/and how come it always felt like/you were taking something away/while you were giving head?" and this pre chorus, "Still thinking there was something in a girl's underwear/that could change me, like I was still in middle school." LOL. Brad's flow manages to make it slightly less concerning, though.

Death of a Party Girl (2018)

1. Cynical One. This album is the most underrated out of the big three. The only viral song from there is Blue Hair, lmao, unlike the other albums, which have multiple viral songs. Cynical One is one of the rare songs that managed to make it past 10m streams on the album, and it's well deserved! Sitting at 23 million streams, it's the third most-streamed song on the album.

The instrumental is actually pretty unique for a TV Girl song, and it doesn't sound like the "typical" from them. There's the cello in the background that repeats the same notes every 10 seconds, but it never gets too much. There are little to no instrumental changes throughout the song, which is interesting, but they manage to make it work. Because of this, I'm actually quite surprised this song is one of the most popular ones on the album.

They have a simple music video that pretty much reflects the entire song's vibe, AKA what I think I look like listening to Cynical One. I find it so funny how nobody cares about TV Girl's music videos 😭. There's also a super cool fan-made music video/short film inspired by the song, which I prefer over the official music video. I think you can tell this is my favourite song on the album! 

2. King of Echo Park. This is also one of the songs that managed to make it past 10m streams, sitting at...! 10.6m streams 💀. Many of the Death of a Party girl songs are a lot more chilled out and less dance-y than the last 2 albums, and this song is no different. The instrumentals die out a bit so that the vocals and lyrics have a chance to shine. This causes it to get a bit boring after a while. You'll have to be in a specific mood to appreciate it. That's the case with a lot of Death of a Party Girl songs, and I suspect that's a major reason why it's the least popular album of the big three. I like the lyrics here; they're pretty funny lolz.

3. Every Stupid Actress. This is another song where the lyrics can throw people off, but the beat is so chill that you just have to ignore it and vibe. TV Girl has a thing for making insane intros and outros, while the rest can appear... kinda mid. Every Stupid Actress may fall into that category for a lot of people, so I understand why it's not popular. The intro is soooo good, but then it just lacks a bit throughout. It's still a great song, however, since I'm putting it on my list :).

IV. The Alter Egos

Maddie Acid's Purple Hearts Club Band (2018) by Maddison Acid

  ‣ Fun fact: the title is a reference to The Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Maddie Acid is just Brad Petering with a voice-over over lmao. She's actually featured on some TV Girl tracks, like Song About Me's bridge. "From Russia with love, Maddie." This album also used to be on Spotify, but was removed because either Brad wanted to gatekeep his own album or some copyright issues LOL.

1. Cut Chop Break Burn. I love this opener and its bassline so much. It sounds so hip, and it sets the tone for the rest of the album really well. Idk why, but it sounds kind of scary 😭. I'm surprised a lot of people aren't the biggest fans of this song; it's so freaking gooooood!!!

2. I Thought You Were Cool. My favourite song on the album! THIS one sounds like a TV Girl track, 100%. That little violin that shows up every once in a while, does its job as one of the best elements of the instrumental, and dips? Gorgeousss. The samples are doing wonders here, and it's such a vibe. And keeping the trend with awesome outros, this song has a great outro where the violin becomes more dynamic!

3. Chocolate Ice Cream Land. Another song with an awesome outro. I did not expect it when I first listened to this album. Shortly after, it immediately made it into my top 3. It's a short song at 2:44 minutes, so there's no long buildup towards the outro. Some of TV Girl's instrumentals get so jarring that they give me a headache, but this song manages to avoid that despite the samples fighting each other. Great work!

The first half of the album is excellent, but it unfortunately falls off a bit, and the instrumentals start to get too much. A few chill songs would have provided some much-needed breaks, lol. Otherwise, this album is very underrated, just like The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle, and our next album, Aestheticadelica. Did not mean to drop a whole album review here 😭✌.

Aestheticadelica (2020) by Bloodbath64

  ‣ Bloodbath64 (AKA Brad Petering)'s Aestheticadelica is TV Girl's vaporwave side project, so many of the songs here are... You guessed it! Vaporwave. It's different from TV Girl's normal sound because they don't do vaporwave, but you can feel the TV Girl in those songs somehow. I don't know how. But you can.

1. Beautiful Horses. Goddd, this is a beautiful opener. It does a wonderful job at introducing the vaporwave sound that the album is going for. The constant repetition of "beautiful horses" may seem a bit annoying, and the majority of the songs are instrumental-heavy with little vocals. But everything is very consistent and cohesive sonically.

2. Magazines. There is NO WAY this song only has 900k streams. This is the second least-streamed song on the album btw. The instrumental goes so hard here, and Brad's voice complements it. Usually, Brad is this conflicting sound in the songs (no hate to Brad LOL), and it may sound scratchy at times, but these types of songs fit his voice surprisingly well. It reminds me of Trung. Brad has to continue making vaporwave stuff (plz).

I love the sample after the chorus. I can't write the lyrics here because I cannot understand for the life of me what it's saying (and there are no proper lyrics online), but I can make out "What can I say?/when you're away (?)" and "What can I do?/when I'm with you (?)."

3. Magazines (Pt. II). Yes, we have to add part 2 on here, too. This one is the least-streamed song on the album with 800k streams. It's just as good as Magazine! I'm pretty sure Jordana sings here. It's very atmospheric and follows the same chill vibe that was present throughout the album. The magazines definitely deserve more recognition!

4. Running in Place has to be one of my favourite non-TV Girl TV Girl closers. It genuinely sounds like something out of an indie game. That's a main reason why I love this song so much. It does feel like I'm "running in place!"

I was looking at some album tier lists while writing this, and I am shocked at how many people place Aestheticadelica near the bottom of their lists. There is no way the majority aren't fans of this gem.

V. Outtakes and Singles

The Night in Question: French Exit Outtakes (2020)

1. Stay Away (It's Like That). The intro alone is a 10/10. Sadly, the sample in that part doesn't continue throughout the song. But the instrumental does! The album cover is also my PC background.

2. The Desolation Tango. Is that a piano in the backgroud? Whatever it is, it may only play like 7 keys every 5 seconds, but it's keeping the song together. I love it!! I love how it balances out the almost frantic-sounding drums/sample. It's like a mixture of serenity and panic.

Despite popular opinion, I'm actually not the biggest fan of this album... It's in my bottom 3. 

Singles & Oddities (2021)

(I can't find the proper cover of the album to put here LOL, so have this instead)

1. Girls Like Me [T]. I love this song sooo much. I think those were synths in the instrumental during the intro and post-chorus? I'm pretty bad at identifying instruments, but that is stunning. Like many of the songs I like, this one tends to be considered mid around some TV Girl circles for some reason. The backing vocals during the second verse, when he sings "it takes more for a mythical/beast like me to die/they think it's easy for a/girl like me 'cause I don't even have to try." Trung singing here makes the song even better. YES, I AM BIASED, and I'm unashamed of it.

2. Strange Loop. You might recognize some of these songs, as they've been posted around YouTube, but that doesn't take away the fact that these songs are underrated. Strange Loop is one of them. Like I've said multiple times before, the instrumental carries. TV Girl makes some of the grooviest instrumentals with those samples omg.

3. Diet Coke [T]. There's actually another version of this in Blurry Girls, but I'm just gonna add this one on here instead. There's one word to describe this song: HEAVENLY. It's one of their rare slower tracks with minimal instrumentation and production. It's a close-your-eyes-and-sway-slightly-type song. Until some beats start coming in halfway. That kind of catches you off guard, but it's a great addition. It doesn't sound out of place at all. If anything, it elevates it!

4. Do It To Ya. Despite the lyrics being eyebrow-raising, it's weirdly fun to sing along. "And have a fetish for beautiful women/who just don't care." "And you're not that kind of girl. I'm a liar/And a pervert with a heart of gold/who does what he's told" 😭 I promise it's actually fun to sing along.

5. (Sarah) Meet Me In The Sauna. The hi-hats on this song!! omg. 

Okay, so I'm just gonna stop this here before I start listing every song on the album. It's one of my favourites, so I recommend just listening to the whole thing!

VI. Other Albums

Summer's Over (2021)

  ‣ Feat. Jordana!

1. Jump the turnstile. Ayyy, I love the "jump the turnstile" sample so much in the intro and post-chorus. Nothing much to say about this one, to be honest. I just think Jordana's voice pairs lovely with the instrumental.

2. Sweet To Dream is another slow TV Girl track. I love to play this song in the car at night. It fits that vibe unusually well. It may just be me, but it makes me feel a little melancholic. Jordana's voice just has that effect, I guess. She and TV Girl need more collabs!! I need more bangers like this.

3. Ordinary Day. I love the "jumpy" feel of the instrumental here. It sounds playful until Jordana and Brad's voice comes in, and it sounds... not so playful anymore 😭. Other than that, this song shares the same sentiments as the first 2! Jordana has a beautiful voice, and she works so well with TV Girl.

This album is another where every song is pure heat, so I'd recommend listening to the whole thing! It's available on Spotify, or you can go to their Bandcamp instead.

Grapes Upon The Vine (2023)

 

1. All The Way Through. Damn, this album flopped 😭. I think this marked the change in TV Girl's sound, and they started experimenting a bit more here. It's really evident in the gospel vibe and theme that's going on throughout the album. There are soul choir samples, fewer of the chaotic samples they usually have, and it generally does NOT sound like the TV Girl we all know. Despite that, I actually love it. I love the different sound Brad was going for here, but I can definitely understand why it's not as loved.

This song is so mmm. I love the little backing vocals when he says, "You should know what to do." And in the "ohhhh"s after that line! It's not overpowering Brad's voice; it's instead elevating it. Biiig difference in sample usage here. And I swear I hear a little flute in the background. So good.

2. Hang On has gotta be one of the songs that don't sound like TV Girl at all, but it somehow is a TV Girl song. And after finding out it's theirs, you go "ohhhh yeah that actually does sound like them."

It reminds me of Cynical One. Very minimal instrumental here. Like how the cello was the special factor in Cynical One, the piano is Hang On's. I really can't put my finger on it, but it reminds me a little bit of classic rock with a mixture of lo-fi. I may have just pulled all of that out of my ass, but this song gives such a specific decade's vibe. I love the backing vocals in the outro where the singer repeatedly sings "hang on"!

3. The Night Time. Bro. Brad is COOKING with these samples. They are beautiful here. Actually, they're awesome on every song. But they shine exceptionally on this track. Idk what he laced in this album, but it's making me religious. This album, and this song in particular, feels like church lol.

Fauxllenium (2024)

  

  ‣ With George Clanton!

1. Take a Trip. I was gonna add Summer 2000 Baby, but it's currently the most popular song on the album with 11m streams. I mean, it's not the biggest song in TV Girl, but it's clearly the most popular on the album for a reason, so I'm gonna leave it out. And yes, it's my favourite on Fauxllenium 😭. Anyway, Take a Trip actually makes me feel like I'm taking a trip. But on drugs. Like it genuinely feels trippy. It's 70% instrumental and 30% vocals, and George sings on this one!

2. Everything Blue. This song also captures the trippy feeling. Actually, the entire album feels trippy as hell. It must be George Clanton's influence. Many of his songs have that vibe. Yeah... I have nothing more to say, lmao. These songs are the type where the only reason I can give for liking them is that "it's just good."

3. The Sweet Life. What was that in the background? Saxophone? I think so. I love it when songs include jazzy instruments!! I can't believe this album flopped, too. It must be the instrumental experiments Brad is doing with these new albums. I'm really excited to see what comes next.

VII. Bonus! TV Girl Covers

Dirty Gold (2011)

1. Overboard (Dirty Gold Cover) [T]. This is TV Girl's cover of Dirty Gold's Overboard, and it is so peak. I'm not even joking when I say this cover is extremely slept on. It's even slept on in the official Bandcamp 💀. Dare I say this is one of TV Girl's best? And it's literally a cover. The drums and synths are awesome, and it's such a different vibe from the TV Girl we know today, but very fitting for the TV Girl of that era. It really shows the musical growth of the band over the years. 

(Is it me, or does Trung sound similar to the singer of Dirty Gold?)

Alright, that was... a lot. These were some of my favourite underrated songs on each EP and album in TV Girl's discography, and hopefully, there are some people out there who have similar tastes 😭. With luck, maybe some fans will find some cool new stuff here without the walls of gatekeeping lol. More about gatekeeping...

The culture around gatekeeping is bizarre. Sharing media should be encouraged, not policed. Seriously, introduce more people to the heat you're on!! I understand that when they go viral on TikTok, an undeserved label is placed upon them; however, the snobbery around discovery is infinitely more annoying to deal with than your favourite song getting "TikTokified." You're becoming one of those snobs 💔 The enemy is closer than you think.

Okay, I'll admit I get frustrated too when my favourite song goes viral on TikTok. Taking What's Not Yours was one of them lol. I eventually realized later on that it doesn't matter if you're now "basic" because the song is viral. Those songs are clearly popular for a reason. But the constant pressure to "prove" to older, OG fans that you're not just there to bandwagon is so ugh. Look bro we all cringe at TikTokification and trends, but also calm down. This is not the Niche Olympics. 

Enjoy your interests. TikTok music or not. Even Brad says he doesn't mind if TV Girl fans come from TikTok. There's no actual need to grovel for anyone's approval just to be accepted into a fandom, and there is literally nothing to gain from gatekeeping... other than cheaper ticket prices. Welcoming new fans without superiority is a rare thing nowadays.

I swear, TV Girl may be one of the most underrated overrated bands. I may continue updating this entry as new material gets released!

P.S. did not mean to rant omg.

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