TV Moms – TV Moms CD

We have another great band on our pages today. I heard about them a while ago but never managed my time to review anything these folks put out. About a month or so, I received an email from them, and they promised to send me some stuff for review while touring Europe, so today, we have a debut self-titled album by TV Moms. As far as I am informed, these New Yorkers started as a duo but gradually became a trio. Since 2016, they have published three albums, so if you check out streaming services, you will stumble upon their self-titled, Believe Anything, and Buzz Malory.

Their debut consists of twelve powerful tracks suitable for those listeners who profoundly love the late eighties and early nineties grunge sound. Of course, that doesn’t mean TV Moms are not into some contemporary music, but this particular album leans towards those old-school grunge waters. If you love that dissonant Nirvana’s Bleach era or proto-grunge bands who roamed the underground scene from the mid to late eighties, this debut will be right up your alley. TV Moms are probably one of the best bands that explore those particular aesthetics, and this debut showcases how old-school/proto-grunge music can still sound fresh, innovative, and unique. Many contemporaries tried to mimic the same sonic maneuvers, articulations, and ambiance, but no one came this close as this band.

TV Moms combined carefully implemented dissonance with standard three to four-chord progressions, empowered by groovy rhythmic structures. They’re keeping it simple, but still, the way they play these songs stands out from the crowd. For some reason, their chord progressions sound more detailed, complex, and challenging compared to other bands I listened to before. There’s a particular dosage of distortion, but this album is not another collection of cacophonic, raw, abrasive, dirty orchestrations. The band excluded heavy dosages of fuzz, so maybe this release will not be up your alley if you’re looking for that. They performed without a bass guitar at this point in their career, but I can hear some low-end tones in the mix. Maybe they recorded a bass guitar or added another guitar channel to mimic low-ends. Whatever is the case, it worked out fine for this particular release. TV Moms made a perfect grunge album without even trying to do that, and you’ll need to hear it to believe it. Head to their Bandcamp page and check it out.