Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club is an indie rock band from Newmarket, ON, Canada. The ban… Read Full Bio ↴Tokyo Police Club is an indie rock band from Newmarket, ON, Canada. The band consists of Dave Monks (vocals, bass), Josh Hook (guitar, percussion), Graham Wright (keyboards, guitar, vocals) & Greg Alsop (drums, percussion).
In 2005, Tokyo Police Club started by accident one day in the ordinary suburb of Newmarket when Greg, Josh, Dave, and Graham decided that they missed playing music together, their previous band having broken up several months before. The four gathered in Josh's basement, plugging in instruments and making up songs almost at random, with no goal but to recapture the magic that they felt making music together. By the time summer came, TPC had quietly begun playing shows in the Toronto area, shows at which the very few people in attendance seemed impressed by what they saw. The band seemed likely to end here, with the various members preparing to go their separate ways in the fall, when fate intervened in the form of an invitation to play the Pop Montreal festival. Packing their instruments and girlfriends into a tiny university residence room, TPC spent a week immersed in music, spending days lazily wandering the streets of Montreal and nights rehearsing loudly in the tiniest of spaces, and topping it off in style with a sold out show that saw the band play for the first time to an audience that was actually interested. A few weeks later, all four had agreed that it was time to break their mothers' hearts and pursue that most elusive of pipe dreams: a career in the music business.
The boys got straight to business, playing a series of Toronto shows, and earning a reputation for live shows that were exuberant, lively, and unrestrained. In January, the very day that Dave returned for good from university, Tokyo Police Club signed up with esteemed Toronto label Paperbag Records to release their debut EP in Canada. In April 27, 2006, A Lesson in Crime was released in Canada and U.S (February 12, 2007, UK released), and the band spent the next months on the road, bringing their optimistic brand of wide-eyed post-pop to audiences across Canada, U.S. and Europe, and making many new friends along the way.
Responding to criticisms that A Lesson in Crime is too short (16:22), Graham Wright had this to say in an interview with Ukula: "It's very quick, quick, quick, one, two, three. Some of the songs don't have a lot of space in them and the album doesn't have a whole lot of room to breathe, but I think in the case of an EP this is a really good thing."
The Smith EP came in February 14, 2007. At a July 20, 2007 stop along the tour in Omaha, Nebraska the band announced the inking of a deal with Omaha based Saddle Creek Records during their live show at the Saddle Creek owned venue The Slowdown, to release their debut LP, entitled Elephant Shell, that was released on April, 22nd 2008 to much applause.
So what exactly is Tokyo Police Club? Perhaps EYE Weekly summed it up best when they wrote "[Tokyo Police Club] are undeniably catchy and raw, marrying danceable hooks with talk of robot masters and global emergencies, providing an upbeat soundtrack to our troubled times." Personally, however, I prefer Exclaim's proclamation that "somehow, the deeply innocuous subdivisions of Newmarket, Ontario have hatched a four-headed beast of tunefulness."
In 2005, Tokyo Police Club started by accident one day in the ordinary suburb of Newmarket when Greg, Josh, Dave, and Graham decided that they missed playing music together, their previous band having broken up several months before. The four gathered in Josh's basement, plugging in instruments and making up songs almost at random, with no goal but to recapture the magic that they felt making music together. By the time summer came, TPC had quietly begun playing shows in the Toronto area, shows at which the very few people in attendance seemed impressed by what they saw. The band seemed likely to end here, with the various members preparing to go their separate ways in the fall, when fate intervened in the form of an invitation to play the Pop Montreal festival. Packing their instruments and girlfriends into a tiny university residence room, TPC spent a week immersed in music, spending days lazily wandering the streets of Montreal and nights rehearsing loudly in the tiniest of spaces, and topping it off in style with a sold out show that saw the band play for the first time to an audience that was actually interested. A few weeks later, all four had agreed that it was time to break their mothers' hearts and pursue that most elusive of pipe dreams: a career in the music business.
The boys got straight to business, playing a series of Toronto shows, and earning a reputation for live shows that were exuberant, lively, and unrestrained. In January, the very day that Dave returned for good from university, Tokyo Police Club signed up with esteemed Toronto label Paperbag Records to release their debut EP in Canada. In April 27, 2006, A Lesson in Crime was released in Canada and U.S (February 12, 2007, UK released), and the band spent the next months on the road, bringing their optimistic brand of wide-eyed post-pop to audiences across Canada, U.S. and Europe, and making many new friends along the way.
Responding to criticisms that A Lesson in Crime is too short (16:22), Graham Wright had this to say in an interview with Ukula: "It's very quick, quick, quick, one, two, three. Some of the songs don't have a lot of space in them and the album doesn't have a whole lot of room to breathe, but I think in the case of an EP this is a really good thing."
The Smith EP came in February 14, 2007. At a July 20, 2007 stop along the tour in Omaha, Nebraska the band announced the inking of a deal with Omaha based Saddle Creek Records during their live show at the Saddle Creek owned venue The Slowdown, to release their debut LP, entitled Elephant Shell, that was released on April, 22nd 2008 to much applause.
So what exactly is Tokyo Police Club? Perhaps EYE Weekly summed it up best when they wrote "[Tokyo Police Club] are undeniably catchy and raw, marrying danceable hooks with talk of robot masters and global emergencies, providing an upbeat soundtrack to our troubled times." Personally, however, I prefer Exclaim's proclamation that "somehow, the deeply innocuous subdivisions of Newmarket, Ontario have hatched a four-headed beast of tunefulness."
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Tokyo Police Club Lyrics
- If It Works We get our nerves of steel When the balaclavas go on We're…
A Lesson In Crime y hands shake, and they long to be held in the…
All My Friends That's how it starts. We go back to your house. We check…
Argentina Oh what a girl I wish I had another sister For me I'd…
Bambi I wanna tell you there's a really good reason Why I…
Be Good It's been a blast but we've been caught Packing up your…
Beaches All together now, Just a shadow in an open doorway Turning a…
Big Difference The quiet kid is coming to stay What do you say? He…
Boots of Danger I'm on your team But I never know when you're not You…
Box There's a good chance we won't make it to the…
Breakneck Speed Breakneck speed Tying up your hands 'Cause you're landing ba…
Centennial This is skin You can wrap all of your arms and…
Cheer It On Operator, get me the president of the world This is an…
Cheer It On (Trey Told 'Em rem (Operator? Get me the President of the world! ...This is…
Cheer it on! Operator, get me the president of the world This is an…
Citizens Of Tomorrow No we can't See the ruins of the old world below That's…
Cut Cut Paste Cut Cut Paste Pays to fish from the Hole I cut in…
DLTFWYH Baby, I'd be scared if I were you You know they…
Edgy I know a man who could never relax Lonely in his…
End of a Spark Spend all our Sundays in a row Ten feet from Chinatown,…
Favourite Colour The day that your brother started to talk Was the day…
Favourite Food With a heart attack on your plate You were looking back…
Feel The Effect I coming down and now I am writing you back Because…
Ferrassie Don't forget to write Don't forget to write They buried me I…
First Date Kit Call it off Keep it in Grind it down to medicine (Oo) Es…
Frankenstein Catch your breath Take your time It's a goldmine But that…
friends of p I'm a good guy for a gal, So won't you look…
Gone Gone to the coast Gone to the coast where I let…
Gonna Be Ready I am gonna be ready Still number one Never let anybody touch…
Graves Pack your rations, pack a watch Change of clothes and a…
Hands Reversed You've got to come into my kitchen for a crime You've…
Hercules Might remember all the books I never read Might remember all…
Hot Tonight Standing in a world with a streetlight sun I don't keep…
Hundred Dollar Day I need your love I need your car I need you, baby Forget…
I'm On Your Side i'm on your team but i never know when you're not you…
If It Works We get our nerves of steel When the balaclavas go on We're…
In a Cave I threw darts at a spinning globe Swapping out passport phot…
It it Works We get our nerves of steel When the balaclavas go on We're…
Juno I got a place in the Arctic Circle I've got a…
La Ferrassie Don't forget to write Don't forget to write They buried me I…
Listen to the Math You've been famous since your birth A silent one it was…
Little Sister Hey sister why you . I’m standing that you willing though …
Miserable I want to travel to the future again I want to…
nature We've got our tracks covered Thanks to your older brother It…
Nature of the Experiment (RAC mix) Go! We've got our tracks covered It's not the moonlight tha…
Not My Girl Truth or dare, it’s in the air Ten feet under water…
Not Sick Get comfortable, get unfrustrated Get healthy, and all the t…
Nursery I would've gone back home I would've gone back home It's bad…
Nursery Academy I would have gone back home I would have gone…
Once I Was The Keeper Once I was the keeper of a secret surprise but…
Outtatime Woo! Lay down your arms You can't fight this war Do what fe…
Pigs I work so hard I made my mark But I'm kept in…
Ready to Win I fucked up today, I fucked up before I fucked up…
Shoulders & Arms Another stone rolls over The republic is just one more year…
Simple Dude I want you wearing white I want you in a frame Nothing…
Since U Been Gone Here's the thing We started out friends It was cool, but it…
Sixties Remake Classics in the modern age Sixties remake Everything you've …
So English Is Good Oh, give us your vote Give us your vote If you know…
South Side Send "South Side" Ringtone to your Cell See myself in the…
Tessellate All the boys who called their mothers on that day Were…
The Baskervilles A toast to the last of a dying breed They're crawling…
The Harrowing Adventures of The harrowing adventures of You and I when we were captains…
Through The Wire Through the wire to your door, through the wire Through the…
Toy Guns Liberated, I am liberated enough I am taking one last look…
Tunnel Vision Going to the sweet store tell me what you want I’ll…
Wait Up i'm on your team but i never know when you're not you…
Wait Up (Passion Pit Remix I'm on your team but I never know when you're not you…
Young Vincent Price Hey Young Vincent Price So you're home tonight Young Vincent…
Your English Oh, give us your vote Give us your vote If you know…