Formed four years ago, Edinburgh outfit Daytime TV have been shaping their sound, trying to find their place in a myriad of up-and-coming bands. Their new EP, ‘Island’, serves as a showcase of the various shades the quartet shift between. Tied by a mix of 80s influences, providing a healthy dose of retro escapism, tracks ‘Fear’ and ‘Waves’ such as highlight their knack for soaring, anthemic choruses. In contrast, ‘So Sick’ opens the EP with a measured and intense slice of synth-rock.
Pulsating bass lines and drums bubble along, building to the striking, and emotive, chorus. Complemented by distorted fuzz guitars, and lyrical angst, it’s a sturdy and confident offering from Daytime TV. And while they’ve only been together for a few years, they’ve already experienced enough to know how treacherous the music industry can be. While some are happy to let bands and artists organically grow, others want that viral moment. It’s this mindset that fuels ‘So Sick’s lyrical angst.
“The music industry tends to make artists second guess themselves all the time in the search for something with ‘viral potential’,” Daytime TV‘s vocalist Will Irvine explained. “That’s not the way to make authentic music that’s real and will stand the test of time. We just wrote what we felt, which at that point was essentially defiance against the process. We were working to other people’s schedules but knew we needed to get on our own flow to properly do our thing. A lot of music out there sounds the same to me now and the idea of making more of that is really boring. I think a large part of the industry is forcing artists to focus on what’s ‘trending’ or what could go ‘viral’ rather than what is real and genuine artistically. It’s a protest against that style of thinking”.
While they have shared stages with a host of recognisable names (Kaiser Chiefs, The Feeling, Two Door Cinema Club), Daytime TV are stylistically more adventurous. This is exemplified on ‘So Sick’ and on the ‘Island’ EP as a whole. “We’re here to open our wingspan and be free with our writing. What’s the point in doing it any other way?”, states Irvine. “There’s no point in playing a game or trying to second-guess anything. Life’s short, let’s just do what feels right all the time, not worry about consequences, and embrace the freedom that comes with it.”
Watch the video for ‘So Sick’ by Daytime TV
May
7th Assai, Dundee
8th Assai, Edinburgh
9th Slay, Glasgow (supporting The Feeling)
10th Assai, Glasgow
July
5th Downtown Festival, Rochester Castle
‘Island’ EP by Daytime TV is out now.
Find DaytimeTV on: Facebook | X (Formerly Twitter) | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music | Linktr.ee | Bandcamp
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