The band TV Girl seems to trend every other month, only to wither away and come back again like spring. The band is originally from San Diego, with three members—Brad Petering, Jason Wyman and Wyatt Harmon. You may know them from their songs “Lovers Rock,” “Not Allowed,” or “Cigarettes Out The Window.” 

While all are amazing songs on their own, TV Girl has nine albums, each having gorgeously made music. Their album French Exit was released in 2014 with 12 songs. This album is easily my favorite, complete with mesmerizing instrumentals and descriptive lyrics.

The album French Exit has gained popularity from the song “Lovers Rock,” one of  their most popular songs. The song seems to be a classy love tune, but lyrically it is quite explicit. The song recites a third person narration with a girl before they are implied to hookup. Just from listening to the song once, you can tell why it got so popular on TikTok. It’s a saccharine song with hypnotic instrumentals. I love the way they tied together drums and the violin. The singer’s voice sounds far away and almost faded, forcing you to sink into the music.

“Birds Don’t Sing,” the second track on the album, has an upbeat “pretty” sound to it. More often than not I find this song stuck in my head repeating on loop. 

The song illustrates a messy breakup that the singer isn’t taking seriously. The first line emphasizes this with the ex in the song asking: “How can you joke at a time like this?” I really like this song because even though it is about a break up it sounds super upbeat. The last lyrics in the song goes, “Girls don’t call and they never tell you why/ That’s just how they say goodbye/ Goodbye.” I like the way they end the song with a goodbye. It feels like they put you into their relationship and made it personal. 

My favorite song both from this album–and in general–has to be “Hate Yourself.” This was one of their first songs I listened to back in 2021. The first time I heard it, it became my favorite song. It describes a woman who is desperate for affection, so she goes through lovers to distract her from her own self hatred. I love the way the band’s songs flow, even though this song, like most of their’s, is sad. It has somewhat of an upbeat sound to it, so you’re forced to analyze the lyrics and really take them in. 

These are just some of my favorite songs by TV Girl, but I really encourage anyone to listen to them. If you are into bands like  Car Seat Headrest or The Smiths, I know for a fact that you’ll love this band! I recommend starting with French Exit as the first album to listen to as it’s my favorite album.