The Ting Tings - FUV Live - 2015

When Katie White and Jules DeMartino, otherwise known as The Ting Tings, recently decamped from the UK to Ibiza, Spain, they had no idea how fate would intervene to bring them exactly what they needed to realize their vision for their third album, Supercritical. The story involves many nights spent in Ibiza’s famous nightclubs soaking up good (and bad) dance music, a missed opportunity to play with Nile Rodgers, and finding a new friend in Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, who would go on to co-produce the album. There was even a found photograph of Diana Ross at Studio 54, singing from the DJ booth, that inspired the shape that The Ting Tings' songs would take. 

Supercritical's songs are sonically a celebration of Blondie and Chic—with touches of Sly and the Family Stone—but lyrically, the album is one hundred percent The Ting Tings. The collection is slinky, irresistibly danceable and sharp-witted. The proof of the strength of these songs, as Jules says, is the ability to pull them off live, with just the two of them and a guitar. When they came up to the Bronx for an FUV Live session, The Ting Tings treated us to a couple of new songs and a lively conversation—and they revealed a surprising wish they have for the next city (and producer) to steer their sound for album number four.