Tv Girl’s Benny and the Jetts [8.2]

Baby You Were There – TV Girl

Only a few bars into the titular track of TV Girl’s (@tvgirlz) new EP, I began to crave the massive sound, rolled-down windows and carefree atmosphere of a casual summer drive. With songs that are upbeat, poppy, and short enough to always remain interesting, Benny and the Jetts is an excellent EP for car trips and sun-drenched days.

Though San Diego’s Trung Ngo and Brad Petering have added Joel Williams to the lineup since their first release, they kept their original formula that utilizes nostalgic samples to create new, unique sounds. The move is certainly risky for the young band, particularly considering last year’s publicized takedown of “If You Want”, the song that first made the blogosphere sit up and take notice of the duo. The track made use of an unauthorized sample of Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me”, which led Rhino Entertainment to force Ngo and Petering to remove the track from the internet.

TV Girl’s newest release, though, should certainly gain the trio a host of new, positive attention. This is particularly true for “Benny and the Jetts”, a feel good song delivered with a deep, lackadaisical tone. Strangely enough, the track actually reminds me of “Steal My Sunshine”, the relaxed, bright claim-to-fame of one-hit-wonders Len. The next song, “Baby You Were There” epitomizes the 1960s vibe that exists throughout the entire record, while the fuzziness present on “Lizzy Come Back To Life” guarantees that TV Girl will always be accompanied with a “lo-if” tag. The final track, “Your Own Religion”, shakes things up a bit with a bit of an Asian influence attached to the overall sunny ambiance.

So…no car, but maybe I can find a boombox to strap to the back of my bike. They still make those, right?