It takes a fresh pair of eyes to imagine the world as Ontario foursome Tokyo Police Club do. Forget the perils of global warming or explosive culture clashes; the seven songs of A Lesson In Crime, the group’s debut EP, find our future in the clutches of robotic overlords. But who knew doom and gloom could be such fun? Bursting with exuberance and dripping with wit, TPC tear through poppy post-punk tunes that make the grim fate they create seem more palatable. Maybe the familiarity of their sound has something to do with that. Within the EP’s first 30 seconds the band reveals its proverbial hand: a full house of Strokes and Bloc Parties. Their guitar lines slash at near identical angles, their bass lines thump with reminiscent insistence, and I’ll be damned if singer David Monks isn’t the sober, teenaged understudy of Julian Casablancas. And if that’s what the listener wants to hear, TPC will not disappoint. “Cheer it On†is a rambunctious Strokes assault without aloof posing, Monks hollering the band’s name until it becomes a fevered catch phrase. Stop/start rhythms give listeners something to stomp along with during the insistent “Nature of the Experiment.†In spite of the apocalyptic theme, “Citizens of Tomorrow†handclaps its way into listeners hearts until they, like the song’s narrator, get blown apart with excitement. Perhaps “Be Good†best encapsulates all of TPC’s endearing traits: brimming with energy, acutely self-aware and a bit thrashy, but just when it needs to be. Though they’ve followed their predecessors’ footsteps a little too closely, A Lesson In Crime exhibits an already apt Tokyo Police Club still in its infancy. Hopefully the future they shape for themselves with time and experience is less bound to the past.
