Summer’s Over is a 7-track album from indie pop band, TV Girl, and up-and-coming artist, Jordana Nye. Released amidst their joint tour, the album fully captures TV Girl’s soporific indie vibes and Jordana’s angelic voice, creating an album that utilizes some of the best qualities from both artists.
The album opens with its title track, “Summer’s Over,” which stars TV Girl’s characteristic hypnotic-pop beat and Jordana’s syrupy vocals. She sings about (as one could have probably guessed) the feeling of a fading summer and the romantic complications that follow. Many of the lyrics point to a love we must sourly understand as temporary.
Good to meet you, Nice to know you
lyrics from “Summer’s Over” by TV Girl x Jordana
“Lo on the Hi-Way” is yet another ode to the unfortunate ending of a relationship. A beachy tune plays as Nye’s soft voice describes being mistreated by her lover and how they left her “weak and in a daze”. The song is relatively light and upbeat, creating a deep contrast against the pain she transmits through the lyrics. This contrast can be seen across the entirety of TV Girl’s discography, as lead singer Dave Petering’s deadpan delivery of satirical lyrics and dark themes are often masked by pleasant melodies.
The album takes a more upbeat turn with its third song, “Jump the Turnstile”. TV Girl fans might have easily recognized TV Girl’s characteristic layered sampling technique (one that is frequented in their legendary album French Exit) in this song from a mile away. Thematically, the song dives into exploring the struggles of finding yourself and feeling lost in this complicated world.
Next up is “Sweet to Dream”, a very fitting name for a song that brings us back down to a more relaxed and dreamy state. This song plays more into Jordana’s style of music with bedroom-pop vibes that makes you feel like you’ve been suspended in the clouds. Jordana describes what seems to be the aftermath of a party, with undertones that suggest she is talking to a lover, almost reminiscent of Peach Pit‘s “Tommy’s Party.” The album’s overarching reminiscent theme is upheld by Jordana’s reflection of what was enjoyed in the past and what she hopes for in the future.
We finally get to hear lead singer Brad Petering’s iconic vocals in the fifth song on the album: “Ordinary Day.” A calm, almost reggae-type beat backs up Nye and Petering’s layered voices as they sing about what they consider to be “just an ordinary day.” Ordinary actually is a good word to describe the song as its simple beat, short chorus, and explicit meaning make the song a nice break from the rest of the album’s sonic extravagance.
The tempo is brought back up in the next song, “Better in the Dark,” as its guitar riffs and echoed drum beat make it impossible not to physically bop along. Nye describes a sensitive relationship with a lover who she worries will lose interest by morning.
I look better in the dark
lyrics from “Better in the Dark” by TV Girl x Jordana
The song exercises TV Girl’s signature move of integrating audio samples from older movies and songs into their music. For this song in particular, they use a sample from a film that describes the complexity of displaying and deciphering emotions.
The final song, “The Party’s Not Over,” is a perfect conclusory tune to wrap up the album. The song has a sentimental sound to it, much like a song one could find playing during the credits roll for the end of a movie. We, again, hear Nye and Petering harmonize on this duet as they describe a culture of never-ending partying and the constant pressure to keep it alive, despite their unhappiness. The song, and therefore album, ends with yet another audio sample that talks about the Hollywood party culture and its respective materialism.
Summer’s Over is a great collaborative album that excellently combines TV Girl’s psychedelic sound and Jordana’s ethereal voice to inspire reflection. Although the album is a little short and some of the songs are relatively simple, it is still a great representation of both artists’ unique qualities. I am excited to see more experimentations in what they could create together (outside of their known styles), but nonetheless, the resulting album is definitely something to tune in for.
Listen to the full album here: