OK, this feature had my friends fighting over who got the last spoonful of the passion fruit mousse. It was that good. I was surprised by how much I loved this mousse — light, creamy, tart, and ridiculously addictive. The recipe’s coming later, but first, let’s get into all things Television Skies.

I recently chatted with the band, whose sound evokes electric nostalgia for the restless. One of my favorite tracks is “HATERS,” and their latest single, “Parking Lot,” released in 2025, also captivated me immediately. Over the past decade, they’ve developed a catalog of alternative pop-rock that is cinematic, nostalgic, and distinctly New York. Their music brought back high school memories, late-night drives, parking lots, old headphones, and that slightly blurry feeling of growing up. Now in my 40s, their sound instantly transports me back. My favorite songs are “HATERS,” “Hollywood Star,” and “Parking Lot.” They’re also releasing a new single, “Paralyzed,” on May 15, along with a full album expected later this year or early 2027. On top of that, they’re launching an electric nostalgia short film, which is a culmination of all the singles they’re releasing this year.

Talking to them made it clear where that nostalgic energy comes from. Before Television Skies, Paul and Ihor were in another band together as teenagers — around 17 years old — playing straightforward rock and roll in a high school band. Eventually, the singer and bass player went their separate ways, and what was left forced them to stop and figure out what came next. For a while, they didn’t really know what to do. After taking a break, they came back together and started rebuilding out of necessity — before there was even a band name, before “electric nostalgia” became part of the identity, before any of that. Somehow, that feeling of starting over, holding onto pieces of the past while creating something new, still runs through their music.

For a while, they didn’t really know what to do. Eventually, they found their way back to each other. It sounded like it came out of necessity as much as anything else — they both knew they still wanted to be in a band, and more importantly, they were completely aligned on what they wanted it to be. They shared the same vision, the same level of seriousness, and the same dream for it all. After some time apart, they picked things back up almost a year later. Around 2016, they started dipping back into it a little, and by summer 2017, things really started moving again. Not necessarily “the next level” in the traditional sense, but definitely a big step forward in commitment, focus, and greater intentionality around the project.

One thing that really stood out to me was hearing them talk about identity — you can hear that journey throughout their catalog. For years, they were trying to figure out what Television Skies sounded like. A lot of the earlier records — pretty much all the full albums before these newest singles — feel like explorations. They experiment with different sounds and influences, attempting to find what truly feels like them. When your influences range from ‘50s jazz to grunge, pop-punk, alternative rock, and straight-up pop music, I can imagine how hard that is. It’s both a gift and a curse when you love everything. At some point, all those influences start blending, and you’re left wondering what actually belongs to you. That’s why I loved hearing them describe their sound now as “electric nostalgia”. When someone asks what genre they are, they don’t just say alternative pop-rock or indie rock or any of the usual labels. They just say: electric nostalgia.

The newer material really feels like they’ve finally landed on something distinctly theirs. The upcoming single “Paralyzed” drops on May 16, followed by another release, “Cherry Cola,” which is tied to a larger visual world they’re building. The songs all exist within the same universe — part music release, part cinematic storytelling. Without giving too much away, they described it as almost a short film unfolding in singles. The videos and songs are gradually building toward the full album release expected in late 2026/early 2027. What’s exciting is that these songs finally feel fully representative of who they are as Television Skies. They mentioned that for the first time, when they listen back to the music, they don’t just hear all the influences separately anymore. They hear themselves. I think that’s what makes these newer releases feel so strong — they’re no longer trying to sound inspired by something else. They sound uniquely like Television Skies. 

I also loved how they talked about the purpose behind the music. For them, it’s less about delivering a single message and more about creating and sharing a moment. The live show is everything to them. It’s the center of it all. Whether someone’s listening to “Parking Lot,” watching a video, hearing an album for the first time, or standing in a crowd at a show, the goal is always the same: to create a space where people from completely different lives and stories come together for a shared experience. For 30 minutes. An hour. Even just one song. Everyone comes from somewhere different — different histories, different realities, different versions of life — but for that small window of time, everyone exists together in the same emotional space. That sense of community and connection feels deeply woven into everything they make.

RSVP and they’ll text u when “Paralyzed” drops 

When it comes to food, these guys pretty much love everything — which honestly made my life easy. What I loved, though, was hearing them talk about their Ukrainian background and how food connects to their heritage. Nostalgia came up often throughout our conversation, but they said they’d never really thought about food nostalgia until we started talking about it. Some of the answers were unexpectedly simple. Ihor said that if he had a bowl of Annie’s aged cheddar mac and cheese right now, it would instantly make him feel like he was six years old again. No overthinking it — just one of those foods that instantly transports you back to childhood. 

For Paul, nostalgia looked a little different. He grew up on an organic farm, so for him it’s less about a single dish and more about fresh ingredients and the feeling they carry. Tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, strawberries, raspberries — all the things you could just walk outside and pick fresh in the spring and summer. He talked about growing up being able to grab vegetables straight from the garden and make fresh pasta or salads with whatever was growing that day. And honestly, I completely understood what he meant. Living in a small town outside Nashville, I’ve noticed how different truly fresh produce tastes compared to produce in grocery stores. Farm tomatoes taste like tomatoes. Fresh asparagus, strawberries, herbs — it’s a completely different experience. You realize how quickly grocery store produce goes bad because it was never fresh to begin with. There’s something deeply nostalgic and grounding about food that came straight from the earth.

Living in New York City, they have naturally shifted their cooking style toward practicality. They do a lot of meal prep, quick lunches, overnight oats, homemade pasta, and simple red sauces — nutrient-dense foods that stretch well while still feeling comforting. Much of what they make is simple but intentional. Fresh pasta with red sauce, sausage, or ground beef. Marinated chicken with soy sauce, lemon, ginger, and garlic — things you can prep the night before and throw into a pan after a long day. Simple baked salmon with garlic, butter, lemon, and maybe a little soy sauce. Food that feels homemade without requiring hours in the kitchen. That whole approach felt very Television Skies to me — nostalgic, unfussy, comforting, yet still thoughtful.

Of course, we also had to talk about Ukrainian food. They absolutely love Varenyky — the classic Ukrainian dumplings filled with potatoes, cheese, or fruit, usually served with butter or sour cream. Paul mentioned that his dad makes incredible Varenyky, and just hearing them describe crispy pan-fried dumplings with onions, sour cream, salt, and pepper made me hungry. Same with borscht. The way they talked about Ukrainian food made everything sound like the perfect meal for a cold winter day — rich, comforting, filling foods deeply tied to family and memory. They also shouted out Ukrainian smoked meats and cured sausages, especially for road snacks while touring. Just keeping a cooler packed with Ukrainian sausage on the road feels incredibly on brand.

Coffee is another huge thing for them. Cold brew, coffee constantly, coffee as fuel — essential. And outside of that, they’re big on fresh fruit. Peaches, nectarines, plums, dragon fruit, star fruit, cucumbers, and tomatoes — especially during the summer. To balance out all the healthy food talk, they also admitted they still love Doritos and Haribo gummy bears. One of my favorite stories they told me was about a little Thai spot near their rehearsal studio in Queens. Apparently, it closed recently and was replaced with a burger place, which they were genuinely devastated about. But the Thai place had an ube cheesecake and a passion fruit mousse on its dessert menu that were their absolute favorites. This reminded me of when my favorite spicy noodle spot shut unexpectedly. I was devastated; I fell to my knees on seeing the “permanently closed” sign. I still haven’t found a spicy beef noodle soup that matches the taste of that spot. Sigh… Anyway, back to the feature. 

The second they mentioned passion fruit mousse, I knew exactly what I was making for this feature. Realistically… when else am I going to randomly make passion fruit mousse? And I’m so glad I did. This ended up being one of those desserts where my friends and family were literally fighting over the last spoonful. It’s incredibly tart, creamy, light, bright, and addictive. I topped it with fresh passion fruit purée to really push that tropical flavor even further, and it visually fit perfectly with the dreamy, blurred aesthetic that feels so connected to Television Skies’ imagery and music. I really leaned into their visual style while photographing this one — soft focus, glow, blur, saturated color, that dreamy, electric nostalgia feeling they capture so well. It may have become one of my favorite Lhyme desserts I’ve made in a while. The best part is how simple it is. Four ingredients make it easy to make, perfect for summer, and it’s one of those desserts that feels way more impressive than the effort it takes. A tart little dessert that might just leave you “Paralyzed” — just like Television Skies’ upcoming single. Check out the recipe below and stream Television Skies on all platforms.

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Passion Fruit Mousse 

(Serves 4–6)

Ingredients 

• • 2 cups passion fruit pulp, separated
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (cold)
  • 2 tablespoons pure cane sugar
  • Pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Blend 1 cup of passion fruit pulp, sugar, and condensed milk in a blender until smooth.
2. Using a standing mixer, whip the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks — light and fluffy, not stiff.
3. Fold the whipped cream into the passion fruit mixture in batches. Keep it light.
4. Spoon into glasses and top with additional passion fruit pulp. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
5. Serve and enjoy!