One of the joys of a self-releasing platform like Bandcamp is the ability to cast a line into its murky waters without even so much as a juicy worm and still come out with a prize catch. I know practically nothing about Daytime TV, except that they are a lo-fi rock duo and reside in London. Oh, and also the fact that the artwork for their recent self-titled EP is pretty cool, hence why I decided to take a chance on them. I’m glad I did.
Daytime TV make a pleasing brand of lo-fi, psych-tinged, rock music, fusing the DIY indie rock ethos of the 80N7 compilations with mid 2000’s British garage rock. Opener ‘Background Painters’ is a good introduction, with its lo-fi guitars and thumping drumbeat, simultaneously ballsy and chilled out and perfect for the summertime. ‘Orange River’ is all jangling guitars and galloping drums before the entry of a synth line and droll vocals about the titular orange river, and ‘Hounoured If I’m Honest’, has shimmering guitars preceding familiarly deadpan, uber-cool vocals. Later in the song a weird squealing and distorted clarinet gives things a slightly surreal edge, like the shadowy figure of (a clarinet wielding) Colin Stetson hovering at the edge of the scene. Closer ‘Back in the Roc’ has a groovy swagger and a catchy breezy pop chorus of, “Come on and get over, don’t take your time”. It’s just the right blend of catchy and cool and it’s not difficult to imagine the folks over at 6Music grabbing hold of this and sending it on a meteoric rise.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3321900351 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=3639782418]
You can get DAYTIME TV on a name-your-price basis via the band’s Bandcamp page.