After a pause of several years, TV on the Radio are back. The influential Brooklyn outfit will reissue its debut album, Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, on November 15 for its 20th anniversary, and the band will play shows in New York, Los Angeles, and London to celebrate. David Andrew Sitek is unable to play the shows, according to a press release. Check out the dates below, along with “Final Fantasy,” an early demo of “Bomb Yourself.” It is one of five tracks appended to the reissue, two of which are unreleased.
The other bonus tracks are “Staring at the Sun (Demo),” “New Health Rock,” “Modern Romance,” and “Dry Drunk Emperor.” Touch and Go is releasing the record.
After their last record, 2014’s Seeds, TV on the Radio kept a relatively low profile, releasing one single—the 2015 Record Store Day exclusive “Trouble”—and sporadically touring and playing concerts including a Prince tribute event and Bernie Sanders rally. The past half-decade has been particularly quiet: They played their most recent show at Madison Square Garden in March 2019, only coming back to life last month with teaser images and a website update.
In the meantime, frontperson Tunde Adebimpe has advanced his acting career—starring in the summer blockbuster Twisters, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, HBO’s Perry Mason, the animated series Tuca & Bertie, and more—while bandmate Kyp Malone has starred in the 2021 movie Doors and released several records with Oh Sees leader John Dwyer. Sitek, meanwhile, remains a go-to indie-rock producer, including a reunion with Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the helm of their 2022 comeback album, Cool It Down.
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Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (20th Anniversary Edition):
01 The Wrong Way
02 Dreams
03 King Eternal
04 Ambulance
05 Poppy
06 Don’t Love You
07 Bomb Yourself
08 Wear You Out
09 Staring at the Sun
10 You Could Be Love
11 Staring at the Sun (Demo) (Remastered)
12 New Health Rock (Remastered)
13 Modern Romance (Remastered)
14 Final Fantasy (2004 Recording)
15 Dry Drunk Emperor (2005 Recording)
TV on the Radio:
11-25 New York, NY – Webster Hall
11-26 New York, NY – Webster Hall
11-29 New York, NY – Webster Hall
11-30 New York, NY – Webster Hall
12-04 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
12-05 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
12-07 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
12-10 London, England – Islington Assembly Hall
12-11 London, England – Islington Assembly Hall
12-12 London, England – Islington Assembly Hall
