Tokyo Police Club, the Newmarket Ontario quartet hailed by Rolling Stone as “poised to become the biggest Canadian export since Molson,” have signed an exclusive U.S. recording deal with mom+pop. The band is currently recording its second full length album, with an expected release projected for early 2010.
Tokyo Police Club is made up of Greg Alsop (drums), Josh Hook (guitar), David Monks (vocals, bass) and Graham Wright (keys/percussion). The band formed in 2005 and released its debut EP A Lesson In Crime the following year to instant and universal acclaim, with Entertainment Weekly raving “we can hardly wait for the full length.” One more EP, a digital-only single and a few laps around the world later, Tokyo Police Club’s debut album, Elephant Shell was released in April 2008. Elephant Shell’s release was preceded by multiple sold out shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto, and followed by appearances on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson and, oddly enough, Desperate Housewives. Critical response to the full length was even more enthusiastic and diverse, with the likes of GQ (”Strokes-caliber catchiness”), Elle (”a smart, furiously played sugar-rush debut”) and Men’s Health (”an aural adrenaline rush all the way”) all lavishing praise. The band toured relentlessly to support Elephant Shell, appearing in the U.S. as recently as the August 2009 All points West Festival.
mom+pop was formed in 2008 by Cliff Burnstein, Peter Mensch and Michael Goldstone. Burnstein and Mensch are the owners of Qprime, one of music’s most respected management firms, with a roster featuring the likes of Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, Muse, Silversun Pickups, and The Mars Volta, among others. Goldstone is a veteran A&R exec whose most recent tenure at Sire saw him sign Regina Spektor and Tegan and Sara. In August 2008, he inked Joshua Radin as the first artist on the mom+pop label. Radin’s album, Simple Times, released 21 days later on September 9, has since sold over 100,000 units and 400, 000 tracks. Other mom+pop artists include An Horse, signed to the label by Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara. mom+pop is a fully staffed label distributed independently by RED