Previewing the first material from their forthcoming body of work, Canterbury’s Tokyo Tea Room gift swirling textures and ethereal tones on ‘Sunset Exit’.
The lead single offers further advancements to the band’s sound – spotlighted by a sprightly lightness of touch in the intro section. The rhythm section leads peacefully and steadfast in a jam-out session, embracing just a touch of Americana and a sprinkling of psychedelia through various ambient and electric nuances.
Every coiling verse is a sweet relief with Beth Plumb’s vocals bathed in tranquillity, as she recalls the past, while the instrumental seems to have other plans. Resisting a state of equilibrium, the instruments are set in a kind of backtracked loop, giving pause for afterthought. This is a particularly interesting easter egg to chew over for the many listens to come. Bursting into the chorus section, an outpouring of instrumental weight hits where the lyrics admit to a heavy burden: “I can’t be what you want,” is agonised repeatedly by Plumb. Understandably we are left with little context to understand why this may be, the only option available is to relate it to our own lives and find some kind of strength in delivering these powerful words.
Tokyo Tea Room once again show their versatility, and continue to raise intrigue with their unique approach to songcraft and experimentalism.
‘Sunset Exit’ is the lead single taken from Tokyo Tea Room’s upcoming EP ‘Another Place, Another Time’. The track can be purchased now via Bandcamp.
