NYC-based Public Access T.V. may want you to think they stepped out of a time machine straight from a Cars concert in 1978, but in reality they’re not old enough to remember the first season of Full House. Where many bands have tried and failed to revive ’70s and ’80s rock ‘n’ roll, PATV’s brand of nostalgia has found quick appeal and earned supporting spots for The Strokes, The Killers, and Weezer.
“Metrotech” is an irresistible dance hit from their new album Street Safari. The music video features indie film star Kevin Corrigan in a hypnotic trance that recalls the videos for "Thriller" and Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice."
Success didn’t come overnight for frontman John Eatherly, who has been playing professionally since he was 16 years old.
Many of his songs conjure images of summer love, joy rides, and nights out on the town, but Eatherly acknowledges, “I’ve grown up a lot since the first album.”
Indeed, PATV’s sophomore release shows a wider range both musically and emotionally, with songs that express a complicated view of friendship (“Meltdown”) and the struggle for identity (“Lost in the Game”). There’s even a shot at toxic masculinity with the song “Rough Boy.”
It’s easy to get tangled up dissecting the postmodernism of vintage leather jackets and muscle cars seen through a Super 8mm Instagram filter. Better to simply enjoy PATV as a fresh celebration of adolescence, whether you’re trying to relive it, or still suffering through it.
