Twenty years ago, TV on the Radio released their celebrated debut album, Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes, which Rolling Stone described as “an immaculate album about disappointment in all its forms.” Yet somehow, its unique blend of indie rock, soul, and synth-rock felt fresh and uplifting. Now the group is reissuing the album with five bonus tracks on Nov. 15. They’re also planning their first run of concerts in half a decade.
The first outtake the group is releasing, “Final Fantasy” — recorded in 2004, a year after George W. Bush ordered the U.S. to invade Iraq with “shock and awe” bombing campaigns — uses the title of the video game series as a metaphor for the way some people are able to anesthetize themselves from tragedy on TV. “Bomb your country/Oh, shed no tears,” frontman Tunde Adebimpe sings over low-squelching synths. “TV dinner overfed your fears.” Other notable bonus cuts include the group’s demo for “Staring at the Sun” and the tracks from their “New Health Rock” single.
Coinciding with the reissue, the band — Adebimpe, guitarist-vocalist Kyp Malone, and drummer Jaleel Bunton — will play its first concerts since 2019 with multi-night runs in New York, Los Angeles, and London beginning this fall. Lead guitarist David Sitek, a founding member, is “unable to join the live shows,” per a rep for the band. Tickets for the concerts go on sale at 10 a.m. local time on Sept. 12. Full info about the concerts is on the group’s website.
In a 2003 CMJ New Music Monthly cover story on TV on the Radio that coincided with the original release of Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes, Adebimpe reflected on how the band wrote songs about society in decay. “I always thought [TVOTR’s debut EP] Young Liars was like, ‘OK, I’m kind of freaked out about everything that’s going on,’ so I put my thoughts to more of a different place, a place that’s more imagination,” he said. “This record [Desperate Youths] is more about being in the present and dealing with whatever is there, right away, no matter how beautiful or ugly it was just deal with it.”
Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes: 20th Anniversary Edition Track List
1. “The Wrong Way”
2. “Dreams”
3. “King Eternal”
4. “Ambulance”
5. “Poppy”
6. “Don’t Love You”
7. “Bomb Yourself”
8. “Wear You Out”
9. “Staring at the Sun”
10. “You Could Be Love”
11. “Staring at the Sun” (Demo) *
12. “New Health Rock” (single) *
13. “Modern Romance” (from the “New Health Rock” single) *
14. “Final Fantasy” (2004 recording) *
15. Dry Drunk Emperor (2005 recording) *
* bonus tracks
TV on the Radio Tour Dates
Nov. 25 – New York @ Webster Hall
Nov. 26 – New York @ Webster Hall
Nov. 29 – New York @ Webster Hall
Nov. 30 – New York @ Webster Hall
Dec. 4 – Los Angeles @ El Rey Theatre
Dec. 5 – Los Angeles @ El Rey Theatre
Dec. 7 – Los Angeles @ El Rey Theatre
Dec. 10 – London, U.K. @ Islington Assembly Hall
Dec. 11 – London, U.K. @ Islington Assembly Hall
Dec. 12 – London, U.K. @ Islington Assembly Hall
