UV-TV

UV-TV emerged in 2015 when Gainesville, Florida musicians Rose Vastola and Ian Bernacett launched the project. Drummer Ryan Hopewell later completed the lineup, with Vastola taking lead vocals and bass while Bernacett handled guitar and backing vocals. Their songs fused the propulsive energy of hazy C-86 punk, lo-fi capture methods, and abrupt transitions from aggressive pounding into shoegaze haze. The dark indie trio filtered pop melodies through an abrasive, shadowy lens and evoked the feedback-drenched approach of acts ranging from the Jesus and Mary Chain to the Vivian Girls. Shortly after forming they issued a five-song demo tape, then closed out 2015 with a split 7” single alongside Los Angeles band Shark Toys. Canadian label Deranged released their punky debut album Glass in 2017; the same year saw a 7” EP containing two new originals plus renditions of tracks by Screaming Sneakers and the Primitives. Glass was tracked rapidly inside an abandoned Gainesville train station, where natural reverb enhanced the group’s already expansive dynamics. The band relocated from Florida to New York in 2018, and their 2019 follow-up Happy presented a noticeably denser sonic palette than the first record.