The tiva

Released: 22.05.25 / Label: Self-released

I’ve not heard of The tiva before but the art for the cover already has me intrigued. Let’s see how it sounds.

There isn’t a ton of information about The tiva available, but this interview shed a lot of light on the group. This young indie duo is inspired by the indie scene in Canada and has tried to emulate that sound here. The members played in a larger band together previously, but after that disbanded in 2018 they decided to start this new project together in 2019.

Alien Loves You! is a pretty good indie alternative song. The lazy feel, slightly off pitch solos, and vocal tone are all spot on. I really love the use of keyboards and effects, they give the song a really good atmosphere. And the guitar parts are wonderfully dissonant.

The band sounds good, but it’s clear that there isn’t really a message here. Reading into the lyrics a bit and it’s hard not to feel disappointed. There are some good seeds in there for a strong song, but the language barrier is just too much for them to say anything clearly. The accent of the vocalist also makes the song impossible to understand, so it comes across as a faux-English indie song meant primarily for a non-English speaking audience.

The production is on the same level as the music, things are muffled and messy and it’s all very charming. The art also fits right in to the style, being colorful but bleak in it’s own way.

Stream or download the track