Tokyo Police Club

The high-energy indie rock outfit Tokyo Police Club began as a favorite of mid-2000s music blogs, but lasted far longer than many of their contemporaries thanks in part to their evolving sound. While their early EPs boasted a brash style in keeping with the rock revival earlier from earlier in the decade, the band opted for a more introspective approach on 2008's debut album Elephant Shell. Whether they took their music in a more polished direction, as on 2014's Forcefield, or in a rawer one, as on 2018's TPC, the hooks that defined Tokyo Police Club's music remained. Vocalist/bassist Dave Monks, keyboardist/vocalist Graham Wright, guitarist/percussionist Josh Hook, and drummer/percussionist Greg Alsop formed Tokyo Police Club in 2005, after their previous band Suburbia called it quits. They began performing shows in the Toronto area, and the rousing receptions they got convinced them to make Tokyo Police Club a full-time venture. Early in 2006 the band signed with local label Paper Bag Records and released their debut EP, A Lesson in Crime, which drew comparisons to the Strokes, Buzzcocks, and Pixies, that April. In 2007, the band issued the Smith EP, another short, sharp blast of guitar pop, and signed to Saddle Creek Records. In 2008, the label released Tokyo Police Club's emo and dance-punk informed debut album Elephant Shell, which featured the single "Your English Is Good." That year, Wright also released the solo EP The Lakes of Alberta. By the end of 2008, Tokyo Police Club were working on their second album. The lighthearted and expansive Champ, which featured production by Rob Schnapf, arrived on Mom + Pop Music in 2010. That year also saw the release of Wright's debut album Shirts vs Skins. After touring heavily in support of Champ, Tokyo Police Club embarked on the Ten Days, Ten Covers, Ten Years project, which found them cranking out versions of a decade's worth songs by artists including Kelly Clarkson and Queens of the Stone Age. Amidst all this activity, Monks relocated to New York and Alsop moved to Boston. In 2013, the band returned to the studio with co-producer Doug Boehm, who helped them polish their sound on 2014's Forcefield, which included the summery tracks "Argentina (Pts. 1, 2 & 3)" and "It's Hot Tonight." The following year, Monks released his debut solo EP All Signs Point to Yes. The band continued to record at spontaneous sessions in New York City, resulting in a pair of 2016 EPs: Melon Collie and the Infinite Radness: Pt. 1 appeared that April, with Melon Collie and the Infinite Radness: Pt. 2 (which featured a collaboration with Rostam) arriving that September. To make their fourth album, Tokyo Police Club worked on their songs in an Ontario church before reuniting in the studio with Schnapf. The results were TPC, which Dine Alone released in October 2018. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi