Teenagers in Tokyo - Isabella / Long Walk Home [Single]

  

Back Yard

It seems an age since Teenagers in Tokyo were first played on MTV2’s late and great 120 Minutes show. In fact it was early last year, and the track was the stupendous, ‘Very Vampyr.’ With a video that had so much dry ice that it looked like a belated soundtrack for the 1980’s classic Lost Boys, not to mention one that showed the band certainly have the sex appeal to give them that extra edge, the track was a brilliant 3 minute pop song that instantly worked its way into my DJ setlist (just try not moving to it) and as it followed their debut video for the almost-as-impressive ‘End it Tonight,’ also taken from their debut, self titled EP, I couldn’t have been the only one who waited both excitedly and expectantly for their debut album.

Now well over a year on from that EP and the album is only just being completed after they upped sticks from Sydney (they are neither teenagers nor from Tokyo) and moved to London. The double A-side of ‘Isabella / Long Walk Home’ suggests it has been time well spent. Both tracks display a more soulful and restrained sound from TIT (teehee), and call to mind the equally 80’s obsessed, The Organ, with some little touches of Fleetwood Mac (80’s era of course) scattered throughout ‘Long Walk Home’ in particular. Even the cover calls to mind the 80’s; the kind you would have come across whilst leafing through the racks of vinyl at your local independent record store, taking a punt based on that or the name alone. This 80’s fixation may well be long since tiresome for some by now, but when a band takes as good care of its influences as this, then it’s not so easy to complain.

It may well be a long walk home back to Sydney, but here’s hoping it’s one they don’t have to take any time soon.