Tokyo Police Club - TPC (2018)

On their previous album, 2014’s Forcefield, Toronto indie rockers Tokyo Police Club were eager to show off how much they had grown in their decade together, indulging their latent affections for both multi-sectional emo-prog suites and plush, Top 40-ready pop. But true to its monogrammed title, TPC strips everything back to basics: Dave Monks’ deadpan sing-speak returns to its natural habitat on the frazzled garage rock of “Pigs,” while the Strokes-like gallop of “Hercules” reconnects the band with a crucial formative influence. But TPC’s ample swagger belies a certain sweetness: The simmering, deconstructed funk of “DLTFWYH” yields a self-help mantra that’s equally profane and empowering. And with the ecstatic jangle-pop rush and extended ambient comedown of “Outtatime,” Tokyo Police Club prove their renewed enthusiasm for straight-up guitar rock has not entirely curtailed their exploratory ambitions.