On the surface, TV Girl is a sunny, throwback splash of ‘60s French pop and southern California soul. Yet, under that shiny veneer lays a dark heart, beating with sharp wit and cynical alienation, and the music is all the more alluring for it. TV Girl, comprised of Brad Petering, Jason Wyman, and Wyatt Harmon, was formed in 2010 by Petering as an outlet to blend the love of Spector-esque girl-group pop with an emerging interest in hip-hop. Featuring shimmering vocals and sampled beats, the self-titled debut EP of the same year turned heads online immediately; the group’s lush vintage rhythms and timeless pop hooks were even making waves on the BBC. They continued to release increasingly popular EPs and mixtapes between tours.
In 2014, TV Girl unveiled their first full-length, the critically acclaimed French Exit. The album keeps true to the TV Girl charm with a bevy of electronic samplings infused throughout light and airy guitars, whirring organs, and ethereal vocals. However, this record is not all summer nostalgia, and there are plenty of times where French Exit reads like disaffected fiction. The moody characters in these songs are fueled by revenge as often as love, underpinned by desperation and a deep yearning to connect.
Their 2016 follow up, Who Really Cares, finds the band doubling down on their heavy use of samples. Combining the aesthetic of 90’s hip hop with modern psychedelic pop, Who Really Cares offers a glimpse into the psyche of a love scorned twenty-something.”
TV Girl’s latest album, Death Of A Party Girl, sustains the dream pop, neo-psychedelic feel of previous work. Petering delivers prosaic storytelling in third-person narration, recounting tales of wistful, romantic flings and mini-dramas starring various shades of the archetypal manic pixie dream girl. The songs are echoing and surreal, cut with samples of dialogue from movies and radio shows that convey a grainy, vintage feel. Standouts include “King of Echo Park,” its beachy vibe conjuring images of skinny palm trees, graffitied skateparks, and humming lowriders; “7 Days Til Sunday”, a swaying, upbeat bop where the narrator reminisces of rooftop parties and one night stands in Manhattan; and the intoxicating “Every Stupid Actress.”
Jordana
Jordana’s music has always possessed a unique sense of place.
You can hear the stillness of a Kansas bedroom on her 2020 debut Classical Notions… Humid late night New York walks on her double EP Something To Say To You. There’s the kaleidoscopic otherworldliness of Summer’s Over, her collab release with TV Girl. The unmistakable sunshine of LA on 2024’s Lively Premonitions. But on her new semi self-titled project, Jordanaland, the 25-year-old songwriter has officially crafted a place all her own.
“Jordanaland is definitely an escape from Americaland. It looks a lot like LA in the videos…for some reason. Weird,” muses Jordana. “But it’s wherever you want it to be, just close your eyes.”
Recorded with her friends Charlie Kilgore & Julian Kaufman of offkilter pop group MICHELLE, the EP drops Jordana in her most brightly-colored surroundings yet. Mixed by a pair of Grammy Award winners in Olli Jacobs (Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, beabadoobee) & David Pizzimenti (Ella Mai, Ed Sheeren, Travis Scott), these songs soar with a sonic confidence that has previously only made occasional appearances in her discography.
“Pop music was definitely the goal,” says Jordana. “Self assured, confident pop. I think the evolution came from becoming more comfortable with my voice, a more established sound, and also looking up to artists who let it all out in that way. I was pretty intimidated at first, because I love MICHELLE. They’re powerhouses. So I tried leaning into their energy, and I’m in love with what we made.”
Of course, if her catalog is any indication, this might simply be a pitstop in a world of pop, but it’s a fully realized one. And in Jordanaland, she’s running for president. And she’s ruling with a very adorable iron fist.
“Jordanaland is an oasis from the chaos, where tampons are free, everything is easy, and Luther Vandross is vice president,” Jordana says of the laundry list of defining characteristics she rattles off in the EP’s namesake.
Indeed, the blissfully absurd title-track is where she shines brightest, turning a campaign slogan into a huge refrain: “Jordana, you can-a.” Meanwhile, the EP artwork is a take on a revolutionary war photograph, depicting the founding of her namesake homeland, complete with its own flag.
But don’t let the whimsy fool you. Here she touches on some of her most honest subject matter yet. “Still Do” is a study in the begrudging love we maintain for the people who let us down. “Like That” is a reminder of the promises we make to others about caring for ourselves. “Hard Habit To Break” is about struggling with alcoholism. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows in Jordanaland.
“Some of the songs were appropriate at the time given certain life events, others were me revisiting feelings,” says Jordana. “‘Hard Habit To Break,’ was one Charlie and I had written a chorus for back in 2021. It was right before I decided I needed to quit drinking, so I definitely took it as a sign.”
At the same time, the EP is littered with picture-perfect love songs & down bad kissoffs. The revved-up jangle pop of “Burning Me Down” and yearning ballad “I Wanna Be” are universal tracks about relationships, while the lithe “Blouse” is about one-sided romantic intimacy and wondering if there’s potential for more.
Jordana has come a long way from that still Kansas bedroom in 2020, reinventing herself and her surroundings multiple times over. “It does feel liberating,” says Jordana, of her reputation as a genre chameleon. “There’s no expectation for me, or at least no expectation I’m paying attention to. I get to try new things all the time. It’s kind of like going to a theme park and seeing a bunch of your favorite rides and running over to each of them in excitement — each ride offers so many different feelings and experiences, that it’s so hard to choose only one to ride for the rest of the day.”
If you want to find her today, she’s riding a dazzling rollercoaster named Jordanaland. Tomorrow? We’ll have to wait and see where the journey leads.
