song of the week: public access tv // in the mirror

I've been keeping my eye on New York's latest and greatest, Public Access TV, for a little while now. They've not quite reached the realms of Radio 1 airplay (thankfully), but they're banging out a succession of cracking singles; In the Mirror being the most recent. 

I can't help but compare their evolution to Circa Waves, who've given us a hefty dose of indie-rock anthems in the past six months, and now it's Public Access TV's turn to put a Brooklyn spin on things. To date, the singles have followed a pattern of off-beat riffs, call-and-response choruses, with a sharp attitude laced through the vocals. Unsurprisingly, In the Mirror fits this brief too.

However, what caught my eye was the B-side Hangin' Around, which nods more to a classic rock sound than the early 2000s British indie scene; straying from the offbeat riffs and throwing in a nifty guitar solo or two. The vocals are still cynical as ever though, in the band's true fashion: "four years at college // and all for nothing" "you're never going to get things right". 

But could this be the band asserting themselves as far more than just another run-of-the-mill, indie-rock-anthem-making machine? Or are they simply trying harder to shake off the Strokes comparisons that they overtly despise? Who cares, because it sounds great either way. 


Written for Post Music Depression