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TV On The Radio

Data updated on 2024-11-08 19:05:23 UTC
From their beginnings as Brooklyn-based experimenters to one of the most acclaimed bands of the 2000s and 2010s, TV on the Radio mixed post-punk, electronic, and other atmospheric elements in vibrantly creative ways, and are both visual artists as well as musicians. The group began when multi-instrumentalist/producer David Andrew Sitek moved into the building where vocalist Tunde Adebimpe had a loft; each of them had been recording music on his own, but realized their sounds worked well together. Sitek's brother Jason began playing drums and other instruments with the pair during their recording sessions, which resulted in OK Calculator, a self-released disc of four-track recordings. Jason Sitek left the band for a short time due to other musical commitments but returned to the band when it recorded its Touch & Go debut, the Young Liars EP.

After the EP was completed, TV on the Radio added guitarist/vocalist Kyp Malone to their fold. Young Liars, which also features the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Brian Chase and Nick Zinner, was released in summer 2003 to critical acclaim, coinciding with their gigs opening for the Fall. Their first full-length release, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, arrived in spring 2004. The band remained busy for the rest of the year, embarking on its own tours as well as dates with the Faint and the Pixies. That fall, they released the New Health Rock EP and won the 2004 Shortlist Music Prize.

In 2005, the band kept busy with touring and returned to Sitek's Stay Gold studio to work on its second album. They also made an MP3 criticizing President George W. Bush, "Dry Drunk Emperor," available on their website. TV on the Radio signed with 4AD for European distribution of their albums and moved to Interscope in the U.S. In summer 2006 they resurfaced with Return to Cookie Mountain, a more polished but still searching collection of songs that featured David Bowie on backing vocals. The band went in a sleeker direction on 2008's Dear Science, which featured cameos from Antibalas and Celebration's Katrina Ford.

The band went on hiatus following Dear Science. Malone worked on his own project, Rain Machine, and appeared on Iran's 2009 album Dissolver, while Sitek formed the collaborative pop project Maximum Balloon, which released its self-titled debut in 2010. As planned, their hiatus ended the following year, and TV on the Radio released their fifth album, Nine Types of Light, early in 2011. In March of that year, the band announced that bassist Gerard Smith, who had joined the TV on the Radio lineup in 2005, was suffering from lung cancer; the following month, on April 20, 2011, Smith passed away at the age of 34 as a result of the disease. Later that year, the band released World Cafe Live, taken from a set recorded for National Public Radio. Late in 2014, TV on the Radio returned with Seeds, a hopeful, streamlined-sounding set once again featuring production by Sitek. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

Total plays

575.5 million
Updated on 2024-11-08

Monthly listeners

1,446,713

Followers

635,388

Top Cities

  1. United States
    23,807 listeners
  2. Australia
    23,051 listeners
  3. Australia
    21,918 listeners
  4. United States
    20,988 listeners
  5. United Kingdom
    20,638 listeners

Related artists

Most popular tracks

Track Plays Duration Release date
Wolf Like Me
Wolf Like Me
142,168,059 4:48 2006-07-03
Happy Idiot
Happy Idiot
79,694,472 3:03 2014-09-02
DLZ
DLZ
61,936,269 3:49 2008-01-01
Will Do
Will Do
55,607,429 3:45 2011-01-01
Young Liars
Young Liars
27,982,478 5:12 2003-07-08
Staring at the Sun
Staring at the Sun
19,783,305 3:26 2003-07-08
Careful You
Careful You
17,834,155 5:12 2014-10-07
Trouble
Trouble
11,888,108 4:34 2014-11-17
Quartz
Quartz
10,877,902 4:01 2014-11-17
Second Song
Second Song
8,327,809 4:20 2011-01-01
Lazerray
Lazerray
6,208,992 3:37 2014-11-17
I Was a Lover
I Was a Lover
5,731,018 4:21 2006-07-03
Golden Age
Golden Age
5,449,610 4:12 2008-01-01
Test Pilot - Chilly Gonzales Re-Make
Test Pilot - Chilly Gonzales Re-Make
5,414,019 3:36 2015-02-24
Halfway Home
Halfway Home
5,361,589 5:32 2008-01-01
Right Now
Right Now
5,201,781 4:23 2014-11-17
You
You
4,883,738 4:04 2011-01-01
Family Tree
Family Tree
4,636,750 5:34 2008-01-01
Test Pilot
Test Pilot
4,249,506 4:42 2014-11-17
Could You
Could You
3,773,128 4:02 2014-11-17
Winter
Winter
3,490,184 3:41 2014-11-17
Crying
Crying
3,486,484 4:11 2008-01-01
Dancing Choose
Dancing Choose
3,372,871 2:45 2008-01-01
Love Dog
Love Dog
3,250,387 5:36 2008-01-01
Keep Your Heart
Keep Your Heart
3,220,120 5:42 2011-01-01
Ride
Ride
3,161,581 6:29 2014-11-17
Love Stained
Love Stained
3,041,255 4:21 2014-11-17
Mr. Greives
Mr. Greives
2,990,221 4:11 2003-07-08
New Cannonball Blues
New Cannonball Blues
2,821,065 4:32 2011-01-01
Province
Province
2,793,874 4:36 2006-07-03
Seeds
Seeds
2,648,837 4:45 2014-11-17
Mercy
Mercy
2,620,936 3:18 2013-08-06
Ambulance
Ambulance
2,557,639 4:55 2004-03-09
Caffeinated Consciousness
Caffeinated Consciousness
2,510,634 3:19 2011-01-01
Killer Crane
Killer Crane
2,238,620 6:15 2011-01-01
Repetition
Repetition
2,185,509 3:43 2011-01-01
Dirty Whirl
Dirty Whirl
2,116,883 4:16 2006-07-03
Hours
Hours
2,014,223 3:56 2006-07-03
Dreams
Dreams
1,979,170 5:09 2004-03-09
No Future Shock
No Future Shock
1,909,777 4:03 2011-01-01
A Method
A Method
1,895,104 4:28 2006-07-03
Stork & Owl
Stork & Owl
1,801,026 4:02 2008-01-01
Shout Me Out
Shout Me Out
1,738,966 4:16 2008-01-01
Forgotten
Forgotten
1,572,207 3:37 2011-01-01
Red Dress
Red Dress
1,571,969 4:25 2008-01-01
Lover's Day
Lover's Day
1,472,731 5:54 2008-01-01
Blues from Down Here
Blues from Down Here
1,437,001 5:17 2006-07-03
The Wrong Way
The Wrong Way
1,383,095 4:39 2004-03-09
Playhouses
Playhouses
1,351,310 5:11 2006-07-03
Satellite
Satellite
1,326,582 4:34 2003-07-08
Blind
Blind
1,279,692 7:15 2003-07-08
Let the Devil In
Let the Devil In
1,196,112 4:27 2006-07-03
Tonight
Tonight
1,097,450 6:53 2006-07-03
Wily Kataso (feat. TV On The Radio)
Wily Kataso (feat. TV On The Radio)
975,356 4:24 2012-04-02
King Eternal
King Eternal
972,516 4:28 2004-03-09
Heroes
Heroes
914,807 5:39 2021-09-10
Will Do - Switch Remix
Will Do - Switch Remix
830,103 5:20 2011-01-01
Wear You Out
Wear You Out
825,097 7:21 2004-03-09
Poppy
Poppy
780,592 6:07 2004-03-09
Wash the Day Away
Wash the Day Away
778,711 8:09 2006-07-03
All Falls Down
All Falls Down
665,846 4:55 2011-01-01
Million Miles
Million Miles
635,432 4:24 2013-08-27
Don't Love You
Don't Love You
634,701 5:31 2004-03-09
Will Do - XXXchange Dancehall Mix
Will Do - XXXchange Dancehall Mix
629,905 3:45 2011-01-01
New Health Rock
New Health Rock
577,748 4:03 2004-10-12
Make Love All Night Long
Make Love All Night Long
489,529 3:34 2008-01-01
Bomb Yourself
Bomb Yourself
484,010 5:32 2004-03-09
Red Dress - Glitch Mob Remix
Red Dress - Glitch Mob Remix
473,182 5:26 2009-01-01
Walking The Cow
Walking The Cow
372,122 4:44 2001-02-27
Heroic Dose
Heroic Dose
368,677 7:18 2008-01-01
Hours - El-P remix
Hours - El-P remix
317,968 4:24 2006-07-03
Snakes and Martyrs
Snakes and Martyrs
313,104 5:24 2006-07-03
Untitled
Untitled
310,448 1:42 2006-07-03
Crying - Telepathe Remix
Crying - Telepathe Remix
294,365 4:29 2008-01-01
Things You Can Do
Things You Can Do
292,287 4:09 2006-07-03
Dancing Choose - Prefuse 73 Remix
Dancing Choose - Prefuse 73 Remix
288,614 3:47 2008-01-01
Modern Romance
Modern Romance
237,641 4:11 2004-10-12
Staring at the Sun (Demo) - Bonus Track
Staring at the Sun (Demo) - Bonus Track
193,461 6:17 2004-03-09
You Could Be Love - Bonus Track
You Could Be Love - Bonus Track
174,166 7:16 2004-03-09
Final Fantasy - 2004 Recording
Final Fantasy - 2004 Recording
141,403 3:15 2024-09-04
Will Do - Live At World Cafe
Will Do - Live At World Cafe
139,937 4:04 2011-01-01
Caffeinated Consciousness - Live At World Cafe
Caffeinated Consciousness - Live At World Cafe
85,723 3:28 2011-01-01
Non-Musical Silence
Non-Musical Silence
80,890 4:01 2008-01-01
Freeway
Freeway
71,841 2:16 2004-06-28
Repetition - Live At World Cafe
Repetition - Live At World Cafe
70,338 5:27 2011-01-01
Red Dress - Live At World Cafe
Red Dress - Live At World Cafe
68,844 4:39 2011-01-01
Will Do - Mylo Remix
Will Do - Mylo Remix
62,756 6:11 2011-01-01
Shout Me Out - Willie Isz Remix
Shout Me Out - Willie Isz Remix
50,958 4:23 2009-01-01
Gray Skies
Gray Skies
49,803 7:04 2008-09-21
On a Train
On a Train
46,418 15:55 2004-06-28
Nature Boy
Nature Boy
46,168 3:12 2009-01-01
Stork & Owl - Gang Gang Dance Remix
Stork & Owl - Gang Gang Dance Remix
44,283 7:32 2009-01-01
Caffeinated Consciousness - Das Racist/PatrickWhat Remix
Caffeinated Consciousness - Das Racist/PatrickWhat Remix
36,714 3:27 2011-01-01
Dogs of Light
Dogs of Light
35,618 7:05 2008-09-21
Dumb Animal
Dumb Animal
35,243 2:55 2007-07-02
Wasted Weekend
Wasted Weekend
27,597 4:02 2007-07-02
Troubles - Bonus Track
Troubles - Bonus Track
11,754 3:04 2011-01-01
First Communion - TV On The Radio Remix
First Communion - TV On The Radio Remix
11,110 4:08 2009-06-01
Candy Girl remixed by TV ON THE RADIO
Candy Girl remixed by TV ON THE RADIO
2,862 3:40 2008-02-20

New releases

Final Fantasy (2004 Recording)
Final Fantasy (2004 Recording)
2024-09-04
[Touch and Go Records]
Test Pilot (Chilly Gonzales Re-Make)
Test Pilot (Chilly Gonzales Re-Make)
2015-02-24
[Harvest Records]
Seeds
Seeds
2014-11-17
[Harvest Records]
Seeds
Seeds
2014-11-17
[Harvest Records]
Careful You
Careful You
2014-10-07
[Harvest Records]
Happy Idiot
Happy Idiot
2014-09-02
[Harvest Records]
Million Miles
Million Miles
2013-08-27
[Federal Prism Records, LLC]
Mercy
Mercy
2013-08-06
[Federal Prism Records, LLC]
Nine Types of Light (Deluxe Version)
Nine Types of Light (Deluxe Version)
2011-01-01
[Interscope]
Chemical Peels
Chemical Peels
2011-01-01
[Interscope]
Nine Types of Light
Nine Types of Light
2011-01-01
[Interscope]
World Cafe Live EP
World Cafe Live EP
2011-01-01
[Interscope]
Nine Types of Light (Deluxe)
Nine Types of Light (Deluxe)
2011-01-01
[Interscope]
Nine Types of Light
Nine Types of Light
2011-01-01
[Interscope]
Family Tree
Family Tree
2009-07-19
[Touch and Go Records]
Crying
Crying
2009-05-25
[Touch and Go Records]
Dancing Choose
Dancing Choose
2009-01-12
[Touch and Go Records]
Read Silence
Read Silence
2009-01-01
[Touch and Go Records]
Golden Age
Golden Age
2008-10-06
[Touch and Go Records]
Dear Science (Bonus Track Version)
Dear Science (Bonus Track Version)
2008-09-21
[Touch and Go Records]
Dear Science
Dear Science
2008-09-21
[Touch and Go Records]
Dear Science
Dear Science
2008-01-01
[Touch and Go Records]
Dear Science (Bonus Track Version)
Dear Science (Bonus Track Version)
2008-01-01
[Touch and Go Records]
Dear Science (Bonus Track Version)
Dear Science (Bonus Track Version)
2008-01-01
[Touch and Go Records]
Province
Province
2007-07-02
[Touch and Go Records]
Wolf Like Me
Wolf Like Me
2006-07-31
[Touch and Go Records]
Return To Cookie Mountain
Return To Cookie Mountain
2006-07-03
[Touch and Go Records]
Return To Cookie Mountain (Bonus Track Version)
Return To Cookie Mountain (Bonus Track Version)
2006-07-03
[Touch and Go Records]
New Health Rock
New Health Rock
2004-10-12
[Touch and Go Records]
Staring at the Sun
Staring at the Sun
2004-06-28
[Touch and Go Records]
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
2004-03-09
[Touch and Go Records]
Young Liars
Young Liars
2003-07-08
[Touch and Go Records]