Tokyo Raid makes alternative music centered on people rather than confession — Britpop melody meeting post-punk atmosphere. Evolving from earlier psychedelic and garage-rock roots, the songs have grown increasingly character-driven, drawing on observation, distance, memory and the people encountered along the way. After time away, Tokyo Raid returns with The Ballad of Essex Porder, a 14-song collection of ringing guitars, dark humor, romance, disappointment and stubborn optimism.
