TV On The Radio

TV on the Radio are an experimental rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2001, built around the core duo of multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek and vocalist Tunde Adebimpe. The group expanded to include guitarist Kyp Malone, bassist Gerard Smith, and drummer Jaleel Bunton, developing a sound that defies easy categorisation — weaving together post-punk guitar, art rock, soul harmonies, noise, and electronic textures into something distinctly their own. Their 2004 debut EP Young Liars announced a significant new voice in American indie rock, and their first full-length Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes followed shortly after to critical acclaim. It was 2006's Return To Cookie Mountain that cemented their reputation, a dense, layered record featuring guest vocals from David Bowie that drew comparisons to artists as varied as My Bloody Valentine and Marvin Gaye. The album was widely named one of the best records of the decade. Dear Science (2008) pushed further into funk and pop structures while retaining the band's art-rock ambition, winning the Shortlist Music Prize and appearing on virtually every year-end best-of list. Nine Types Of Light followed in 2011. The death of bassist Gerard Smith from lung cancer in April 2011, just days after the album's release, cast a shadow over the record and the band's subsequent direction. TV on the Radio have been consistently cited as one of the most important American rock bands of the 2000s, praised for their willingness to evolve across records while maintaining a singular sonic identity. Their influence is audible in much of the art-rock and indie soul that followed them.