TTSSFU makes music for messy nights and messier mornings after

In our current era of bracing self-optimisation, imperfections can be appealing. TTSSFU, a.k.a. Wigan-born, Manchester-based Tasmin Stephens, situates her bratty alt-rock firmly in the unchecked messiness of life in your twenties: romance, friendship and, of course, regrettable nights out.

“I don’t really go out in Wigan now,” TTSSFU muses from her childhood bedroom. “But whenever I do, I normally have the wildest night of my entire life.” The TTSSFU project captures the sweep of hedonistic highs and inevitable emotional comedowns in all their unfiltered glory.

On Stephens’ latest EP, Blown, woozy shoegaze guitars and driving drums are layered with husky vocals, mostly recorded in her bedroom. The result is a relatable kind of rock star, with TTSSFU “a character based off all the it girls, like Courtney Love and Sky Ferreira. It’s just who I wanted to be.” The songs are distinctly unvarnished – “honest” is the word Stephens uses – but also effortlessly cool. “I ended up just writing about what I was experiencing, being realistic. I got into thinking people want happy songs, but I was literally listening to Silver Jews and Xiu Xiu.” 

Despite being seen as part of a rising generation of Manchester-based groups, alongside oddballs like Bathing Suits and Yaang, Stephens’ hometown looms large across Blown. Its title is a Wigan-ism for feeling emotionally bruised, and that mood – down-but-not-out, emotionally resilient – runs through much of Stephens’ work. It echoes the romantic squalor of Patti Smith, though she admits her experiences are “less Just Kids, more Dirty Girls”, referencing the documentary about mid-90s teenage riot grrrls ostracised by their preening peers. “The world of Blown is just sort of ‘keep pushing on’,” Stephens shares.

Stephens speaks warmly about Wigan but isn’t immune to its foibles: “There’s lovely aspects, but it’s also kind of scary and chaotic,” she reflects. “The people and the community around there are so friendly and really want to help each other out. But I’d say, on a night out, you really do come across some interesting characters.” A primary spot for these antics was the now-closed club Indiependence – known to regulars as Indie. “A really good venue. Well, it weren’t really good, but that was what was good about it. It was the hub for anyone who was into alternative music or whatever, to hang out. There was a squad of people and they’d all act like they were famous. It was kind of epic, to be fair.” 

Stephens started making music when she was just 14, and by 18 she was performing in a punk band called Duvet. But it was as TTSSFU that something stuck. Her debut mini-album, Me, Jed and Andy – released on Partisan – married swooning guitars with titles like I Hope You Die. This uncensored quality is still present and correct, most notably on the spiky and vitriolic Cat Piss Junkie. It’s detectable in the gentler moments, too: the scratchy Call U Back is a song about limerence that isn’t gender specific, while the mournful Weekend is about fleeting romance after the club lights come on. “And I can see your makeup running and mascara gone,” Stephens sings over blasts of distortion.

“I’m not ashamed of anything I do, really,” Stephens says, succinctly summing up the dishevelled charm of TTSSFU. “You should be able to talk about your experiences without then being labelled a nutter.”

Sounds like: Messy nights, messier mornings after
Soundtrack for: Rubbing regret from your eyes
File next to: Sky Ferreira, The Microphones
Our favourite song: Call U Back
Where to find her: @ttssfu