"Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 (Vampires & Wolves)" is a song by from Liverpudlian indie band, The Wombats

The Wombats

The Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy and Dan Haggis , alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen...

. It was the first single to be released from their second album This Modern Glitch

The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch

This Modern Glitch is the second studio album by British indie band The Wombats. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 25 April 2011, with 5 singles preceding it: "Tokyo ", "Jump Into the Fog", "Anti-D", "Techno Fan" and "Our Perfect Disease", released on 24 September 2010, 24 January...

. The song was added to the A-list on BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

.

Background

In a interview with Digital Spy

Digital Spy

Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....

 Drummer Dan Haggis said:

"We've approached this album slightly differently from the last.
"Whereas the first album was practically recorded live with a few overdubs, this time round we've had the time to really play with the sonics. Now we just can't wait to get out there and get sweaty."

Singer Matthew Murphy told XFM about the sound of the new single: "I don't think we consciously thought we'd make a synth-pop-whatever record. It just happened. There are a lot more keyboards and I didn't play as much guitar. It's quite an angsty, anxious song, wanting to run away from everything. A lot of our songs are escapist, I think."

The cover also bears a striking resemblance to Tokyo, Japan, with every smaller 'mini-city' filled with a different color.

Track listings

Chart performance

"Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" first debuted on the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 on 3 October 2010, where it debuted at number 23; marking the band's fifth top 40 hit and the third most successful of these behind "Moving to New York

Moving to New York

"Moving to New York" is a song by the Liverpool band The Wombats. It was originally released exclusively on 7-inch, in limited edition packaging, on October 26, 2006 and then re-released on January 14, 2008. The song is taken from the band's album A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation...

" and "Let's Dance to Joy Division

Let's Dance to Joy Division

"Let's Dance to Joy Division" is a song by The Wombats and the second single taken from their second album A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation. The song was available to download on 8 October 2007, and was physically released one week later...

", which reached numbers 13 and 15 respectively. The single spent only two weeks within the top 40, falling to number 32 in its second week and number 43 the week after. On 14 November, the single made its last appearance within the UK top 100 at number 99, marking its seventh and last week on the chart.

Critical reception

Fraser McAlpine of BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 Chart Blog gave the song a positive review stating:

There are times when taking the things that clever people say on face value is a dangerous game.

Take this song. We all know that Matt Murphy is a smart man, with a keen eye for the wry, so it's a toss-up as to whether this is supposed to be a parody of all the songs bands write about the existential horrors of life on the road, or actually one of those songs bands write about the existential horrors of life on the road, only one with a keener-than-usual sense of self-awareness, written by a man with a knack for jamming up happy pop tunes with sad lyrics.

Or it could just be a genuine song about feeling dehumanised by the rigours of life in a touring pop band, and wanting to return to the one great night out that made it all seem worthwhile.

Or all of these things. Or none of these things. .

The song also came eighth in the largest music poll in the world, Australian radio station's Triple J

Triple J

triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...

's Hottest 100 of 2010

Triple J Hottest 100, 2010

The 2010 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced and played on Australia Day, 26 January 2011. It is the eighteenth countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station Triple J....

.

Charts

> > > >

Chart (2010)	Peak position
European Hot 100 Singles	71
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	78

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Catalogue
United Kingdom	24 September 2010	Digital download	14th Floor Records 14th Floor Records 14th Floor Records is a British record label founded in 2002 by Christian Tattersfield as a joint venture with Warner Music UK. The label has released albums by artists such as Biffy Clyro, Damien Rice, David Gray, Longview, Mark Joseph, Nerina Pallot, Ray LaMontagne, and The Wombats.Tattersfield...	B0041X915M
	27 September 2010	CD single