TVOD (photo by Jessica Gurewitz)
Fresh on the heels of the release of their recent single “Alien” (read our thoughts), and tearing back through our tympanic membranes like a siren, TVOD has landed back to earth and crashed its ship on the rocky shores of Brooklyn with a brand new single “Mantis.” “It’s the year of the mantis and everybody’s gone crazy!” This crunchy synth pop freak out party track has a bit of a classic retro sci-fi vibe that would feel quite at home on The Lillingtons’ Death by Television.
The creature collective, that bills themselves as “more of a cult less of a band,” who are “hell bent on bathing in the blood of punk rock infamy” is led by monster front man, Tyler Wright, and features an all star cast of Brooklyn musicians from a myriad of other projects—Mem Pahl (Jeffrey Lewis), Lizzy Black (Fruit and Flowers), Jenna Mark (Tilden), Serge Zibrizer (Daddies) and Jason Wornoff (Vacant Company)—and as a group, they put on some of the most energetic and entertaining shows you’re going to find in New York or anywhere, really. Capturing some of that wild energy, the band hit the studio and are now in the midst of sharing a series of brand new singles, “Mantis” being the second release and we have your exclusive first listen to this dynamic new track!
“Mantis” (art by Secret Cobra Information)
Slightly spooky and just in time for Halloween, “Mantis,” is loaded with dark ear-worm hooks reminiscent of Hüsker Dü, Q and Not U and the secret Green Day side project, The Network. Complete with sinister screams, groovy synths and a driving lead guitar line, the sing-along chorus will bore directly to the back of your brain and plug straight into your nervous system: “I’m in love with your body. I’m in love with the way you make me feel.”
Said vocalist Tyler Wright on the track: “For a solid month, I was seeing praying mantises everywhere. It was the weirdest thing and since then, I have yet to see another one. I used them as the mascot for what felt like the end of times in NYC during the pandemic. Riding the subway home on March 14th 2020, when I lost my job, it felt like the entire world was about to explode, [and that] inspired a lot of the lyrics and tones in this song.”
TVOD live (photos by Kate Hoos)
Whether or not 2022 is the year of the mantis, only time will tell. One thing though is for certain, Wright and crew are going to lure you in and then bite your head off. Listen to the song and watch the video directed by John Clouse below.
“Mantis” hits all major streaming platforms on 10/26.
TVOD will perform on 11/5 at Alphaville with Jobber (get tickets) and release one more single before the end of the year.
Keep up with the band on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube.