TOKYO POLICE CLUB ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM TPC
OUT OCTOBER 5 ON DINE ALONE RECORDS
DOUBLE A-SIDE SINGLE βHERCULESβ W/ βDLTFWYHβ NOW OUT
EXPAND FALL NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Tokyo Police Club has announced their first full-length album in four years, TPC, for an October 5 release on Dine Alone Records β premiering both sides of a double A-side single, βHerculesβ via Billboard and βDLTFWYHβ. Additionally the Ontario quartet has expanded their fall North American tour (see below).
If the universe had tilted the tiniest bit, there would be no TPCβthe not-quite self-titled fourth (and best) Tokyo Police Club album. By 2016, singer-bassist and chief songwriter Dave Monks had settled into life in New York City; he made a solo record and did some co-writing. Drummer Greg Alsop was living and working in L.A. Keyboard player Graham Wright and guitarist Josh Hook remained in the bandβs native Canada. Tokyo Police Club created songs via email, thinking they had enough natural chemistry and experience to make that setup work. But eventually, the lack of friction meant there was less musical spark, and it dawned on everybody that the end was near. There was resignation, not anger, when Wright, Alsop, and Hook told Monks they were done with the band. They didnβt expect him to disagreeβ¦ but Monks said this: βFuck no.β
βLetβs make this band feel like a band we would want to be in again,β Monks implored his bandmates. βLetβs make it about being present for the moments that are important more than about being devoted to some rock stardom fantasy. We at least gotta go make Abbey Road first, and go out with a bang. You donβt have to give me five records. Just give me a few more rehearsals and some studio time and then weβll figure it out.β
As the old proverbβor maybe itβs a Joni Mitchell songβgoes: You donβt know what youβve got βtil itβs (almost) gone. After putting aside the idea of splitting up and back-burnering their commercial expectations, there was just one thing left to do: go to church – specifically a church in rural Ontario, where the foursome could recapture the energy of their early years by playing in a room together. Songs that Monks had written were abandoned when they didnβt feel right for this new energy, and TPC started to take shape, built on camaraderie and esprit de corps.
At the church, the songs and energy started to flow like theyβre supposed to, like they used to, and any lingering doubt was quickly subsumed by joy.Β βI was really excited to tackle this record in this way, because the way weβd been doing it wasnβt working,β says Hook.
When it came time to take these songs in to the studio, everyone felt there was only one person who to capture that energy on tape β producer Rob Schnapf, whom the band worked with on 2010βs Champ. They convened at his Eagle Rock, Los Angeles studio this winter and in a matter of weeks had the album they wanted.
A first track, βNew Bluesβ, was released in April in conjunction with a three-week U.S. tour supporting Matt & Kim, during which the guys cranked out a set featuring songs off TPC, giving fans an early opportunity to get excited and hear what the guys had been up to. As well as capturing that spark during a Paste Live Session in New York.
Monksβ friends could once again help shape his songs into Tokyo Police Club songs, and the batch that ended up on the record arenβt quite like anything theyβd done before. Theyβre through being cool, through doubting themselves, and through wasting time on ancillary things. TPC is self-titled, almost, because itβs Tokyo Police Club circa 2018βscarred but smarter, fully re-energized.
TPC Tracklisting
01. New Blues
02. Pigs
03. Hercules
04. Simple Dude
05. Unseen
06. DLTFWYH
07. Canβt Stay Here
08. Outtatime
09. Ready To Win
10. Edgy
11. One Of These Days
12. Daisy Chain
Tour Dates
10/16 β Brooklyn, NY @ Babyβs All Right [sold out]
10/18 β Winnipeg, MB @ The Good Will Social Club
10/19 β Saskatoon, SK @ Capitol Music Club
10/21 β Regina, SK @ The Exchange
10/23 β Red Deer, AB @ Boβs Bar
10/24 β Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
10/25 β Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth [sold out]
10/25 β Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth
10/29 β Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret [sold out]
10/30 β Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
10/31 β Seattle, WA @ Barboza
11/01 β Seattle, WA @ Barboza [sold out]
11/02 β Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge [sold out]
11/03 β Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
11/05 β San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill [sold out]
11/06 β San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
11/07 β Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge [sold out]
11/08 β Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
11/09 β Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
11/10 β Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room [sold out]
11/16 β San Diego, CA @ Casbah
11/17 β Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom