TEEVEE - TEEVEE

TEEVEE

​TEEVEE
self-released; 2016

3.8 out of 5

By Dom Eagle

TEEVEE is a psychedelic rock outfit located in Austin, Texas. Their first show took place during SXSW at Hotel Vegas in March and they’ve been an unstoppable force ever since - totaling anywhere between four and six shows per month. Along with opening for The Octopus Project, Ringo Deathstarr, Christian Bland & The Revelators, Holy Wave and Al Lover, they just played the Levitation official pre-party despite the festival itself being cancelled. Now, to top off all of that insanity, they’ve finally released some studio recordings.

TEEVEE’s self-titled four-track debut EP TEEVEE opens with a punchy track entitled “Static.” Laden with reverberating, surf-styled, rock guitar and a throbbing, energetic drum beat, this nostalgic track brings back memories of The Stone Roses and other great bands of this big-vibe, yet mellow tone, genre. TEEVEE follows through on this style with the eerie, dreamy, endlessly-echoing, falsetto vocals which wash over the rest of this track in wave after wave. What is amazing about this experience is that the vocals become just another instrument, along with the droning synths, chugging electric power chords and funky bass rhythm. Much like Tame Impala or Radiohead, the vocals are beautiful and sensual, but by no means ever attempt to overpower the rest of the musical goodness.

“Beneath My Stone” adopts a slower approach to psychedelia. Again, Tame Impala and Beatles influences abound. The vocals sweep in and out of view; barely discernible, but beautiful all the same. An infectious bass rhythm repeats over and over as one’s head is forced to collapse endlessly down the spiral of chaotic noise that TEEVEE creates. The sound of a reverberating guitar solo punctuates the madness gradually, as do viciously chugging electric power chords, but all this sound ultimately disappears into the mellow, melodic abyss as it reaches the crescendo. “Beneath My Stone” returns to soothing serenity for its closure.

As the name implies, in a sense, “Doo-Wah” is a more upbeat, frantic and clear-cut affair. Of course, all of the psychedelic madness which precedes it is chaotic, happy and… well, mad… but “Doo-Wah” has a certain gleeful air about it. The whirring synths, guitar chords which happily chug along over a fast-paced beat and joyously-moaning vocals all combine to create the most colorful sound I think I’ve ever heard.

​All in all, TEEVEE contains a lot of psychedelic influence, but has a lot of originality of which to boast in its own right. They had utilized the tricks of the trade and created their own beautiful, mad, new sounds out of synths, guitars and even the human voice. This is definitely worth a listen for any fellow head-cases.

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