Times New Viking
Blown-out, high-velocity noise pop that pushes cassette recording to its breaking point. Gritty, melodic, and unapologetically loud indie rock for basement dwellers.
Blown-out, high-velocity noise pop that pushes cassette recording to its breaking point. Gritty, melodic, and unapologetically loud indie rock for basement dwellers.
Times New Viking sounds like a pop band being broadcast through a shortwave radio during a thunderstorm. Their music is defined by a 'shitgaze' aesthetic: extreme tape compression, brittle treble, and a constant layer of hiss that acts as a fourth instrument. Beneath the wall of noise, however, are genuine pop hooks and infectious melodies that recall the heyday of 90s indie rock, but played at double speed and triple the distortion.
What makes them truly distinctive is their commitment to the medium of recording as a creative choice. By mastering their tracks to the absolute limit of digital loudness and recording albums to VHS tapes, they created a sonic signature that is physically demanding yet emotionally accessible. The dual vocals of Beth Murphy and Adam Elliott cut through the fuzz with an urgent, sloganistic energy that feels like a manifesto written on a napkin.
Start with 'Rip It Off' to experience their most iconic, abrasive sound at its peak. If you find the noise too overwhelming, 'Dancer Equired!' offers a slightly cleaner, studio-recorded entry point that reveals the sharp songwriting craftsmanship that was always hiding under the static.
Times New Viking is an American shitgaze band from Columbus, Ohio. Its lineup consisted of Jared Phillips on guitar, Adam Elliott on drums, and Beth Murphy on keyboards. Murphy and Elliott shared vocal duties. The band were associated with the 2000s "shitgaze" scene. The band's name, "Times New Viking", is a play on the popular typeface Times New Roman. The group released five albums: Dig Yourself (2005), Present the Paisley Reich (2007), Rip It Off (2008), Born Again Revisited (2009), and Dancer Equired! (2011). It also released three EPs — Dead New Viking (2005), Stay Awake (2008), and Over & Over (2012) — and several singles. Rip it Off reached No. 17 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and NME gave it an 8/10 rating. The band was previously signed to Siltbreeze and Matador Records. Its fifth album was released in April 2011 via Merge in the US, Wichita in Europe, Pop Frenzy in Australia and Big Nothing in Japan. Following the release of the Over & Over EP in 2012, the band went on an extended hiatus with its three members relocating to different corners of the US, and it did not play live for four years. In 2016, it reunited to play 4th and 4th Fest in Columbus. Each member continues to make music. Murphy has released solo material as The Girl in Times New Viking, and formed the duo Married FM. Elliott joined Ohio band Connections before forming his own group, Long Odds. Phillips has released music with Counter Intuits. In 2025, the band announced their first show in a decade, set for New York City in 2026.
Shares indie rock, noise rock, garage rock (subgenres); energetic, rebellious, playful (moods)
Shares basement show, urban night, dive bar (atmosphere); indie rock, noise rock, garage rock (subgenres)
Shares indie rock, noise rock, garage rock (subgenres); basement show, dive bar, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares indie rock, noise rock, garage rock (subgenres); basement show, dive bar, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares lo-fi hip-hop, indie rock, noise rock (subgenres); basement show, urban night, dive bar (atmosphere)
Shares lo fi, compressed loud, noise textured (production style); energetic, rebellious, playful (moods)
Shares lo-fi hip-hop, indie rock, noise rock (subgenres); lo fi, bedroom production, noise textured (production style)
Shares indie rock, noise rock, garage rock (subgenres); energetic, rebellious, playful (moods)
Shares energetic, rebellious, playful (moods); basement show, urban night, dive bar (atmosphere)
Shares noise pop, noise rock, garage rock, raw (signature)
Shares noise rock, garage rock, urgent, indie rock (subgenre)
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