TV Girl’s Who Really Cares turns lo-fi indie pop into something sly, awkward and unusually direct. The Los Angeles project, active since 2010, leans on electronic production and hip hop phrasing while Brad Petering’s songs circle sex, distance, rejection and the strange stories people tell themselves afterward. “Not Allowed” has the kind of blunt, catchy title that fits the album’s humour, while “Cigarettes Out The Window,” “Till You Tell Me to Leave” and “Loving Machine” suggest a less romantic view of attachment than their pop surfaces might first imply.
The production stays rough around the edges rather than chasing a polished studio sheen. Petering wrote the music and lyrics, with mixing and mastering by Jason Wyman, and additional vocals from Amber Quintero and Maddie “Acid” Keaton. Maddie Acid also appears on “Song About Me.” The record’s sample choices add another layer to its collage of pop references, with Frankie Cosmos appearing on “Cigarettes Out The Window” and “For You,” and The Yeastie Girlz sampled on “Not Allowed,” all used with permission. People drawn to off-kilter indie pop, lo-fi production and funny songs about bad decisions should find plenty here, especially with a name-your-price download and vinyl LP available.
