Tokyo Police Club Are Champs With New Album

Tokyo Police Club have finished recording their forthcoming sophomore album, Champ, and they're currently mixing the disc in Los Angeles.

Singer/bassist Dave Monks has spent the last two days blogging about some of the tunes on the LP, which was recorded in Hollywood and Eagle Rock, Calif. with producer Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck).

Although Champ doesn't have a definite release date or track listing yet, Monks revealed the names of two of its songs on Tuesday (March 2) and Wednesday. One is called "End Of A Spark," which Monks describes as "the most guitar-y song on the record." The other is dubbed "Gone" and Monks says it "features our first ever hometown shoutout."

Drummer Greg Alsop recently told the Vancouver Sun that Champ is "different" when compared to the band's 2008 Elephant Shell debut.

"It's a lot more confident, the songs are a bit longer," he told the newspaper. "I think we're pushing over the three-minute mark on most of them.

"Elephant Shell was written in this headspace where the EP was getting some attention and we felt we had to live up to it. This one felt like the four of us writing in a room together again, where we didn't have anything riding on it. So hopefully it sounds liberating that way."

Tokyo Police Club will spend the spring and summer touring behind Champ, and you can see Alsop, Monks, bassist Josh Hook and keyboardist Graham Wright here:

April 6 Waterloo, ON @ Starlight
April 7 St. Catharines, ON @ Isaac's Bar And Grill
April 9 Hamilton, ON @ Rokbar
April 17 Indio, CA @ Empire Polo Club (Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival)
April 27 Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small's Theater
May 29 Neustrelitz, Germany @ Immergut Festival
May 30 Hamburg, Germany @ Ubel Und Gefahrlich
May 31 Berlin, Germany @ Lido
June 1 Cologne, Germany @ Luxor
June 2 Munich, Germany @ 59:1
June 4 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
June 5 Brussels, Belgium @ Le Botanique
June 7 Manchester, England @ The Ruby Lounge
June 8 London, England @ Scala
June 11 Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival
June 29 Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park Bandshell w/ Passion Pit