Nineteen years after the release of their last album, The Promise in Compromise, New Jersey emo favourites Tokyo Rose return with five-track EP, Never Say Die.
Reuniting with the same earnest song writing and anthemic hooks that defined the mid-2000s scene, the collection is steeped in the heart-on-sleeve emotion and urgency that made the Garden State a breeding ground for some of the genre's most enduring bands.
Lead vocalist Ryan Dominguez expands on the particular brand of nostalgia listeners can expect from the sonic aesthetic: “If Morpheus unplugged Neo from the Matrix and instead plugged him into my Walkman in 1999, it’d sound like our new EP. Equal parts MTV nostalgia, rhythmic futurism, and Jersey jug handle jurisprudence, Never Say Die is the result of old friends reconnecting over the white-hot embers of a fire that never went out.”
Formed in 1999 by ex Senses Fail bassist Mike Glita & Matt Reilly, formerly of The Finals, Tokyo Rose emerged from what would become the iconic New Jersey alternative rock/emo scene of the early 2000's. The sound, accordingly, was a deeply relatable, perennially heart-on-sleeve brand of rock. Glistening guitars and rousing vocals captured fans across the US and beyond, with bold, sweeping melodies earning the band a mainstream following.
After going through personnel changes that would see Reilly depart, the East Coast outfit emerged with Ryan Dominguez taking duties as lead vocalist and guitarist.
2002 saw the release of the band's debut EP, Chasing Fireflies, followed by debut full-length, Reinventing A Lost Art the following year. But it would be 2005 LP New American Saint that would truly put Tokyo Rose on the map.
Tours with Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard; international runs & Vans Warped Tour dates soon followed, with Tokyo Rose's innately personal and emotionally resonant live show impressing across continents.
Though Tokyo Rose continued to tour through present day, The Promise in Compromise (2007) would be the band's last studio album until present day.
Featuring a reassembled line-up but a sound that harks to Tokyo Rose at their peak, fans are treated to a slice of throwback emo excellence on Never Say Die. From the Jimmy Eat World shaded "Phoenician Fire" to "It's All We Have & We Don't Want It To End", adorned with Saves The Day's pop sensibility.
"Ugly Comes Out" and "Something Sweeter" show the band's weightier alternative rock influences, a grittier side to the EP that cuts through the indie pop hooks of "Better When" (Fibonacci x Pascal).
Never Say Die is a staunch reaffirmation of all that made Tokyo Rose a success 20 years ago. Blending stellar choruses, emotionally indelible lyricism and a renewed sense of purpose, the EP honours the band's legacy while proving their most exciting chapter may still lie ahead.
