Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)

"Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" is a song by Liverpudlian indie band the Wombats. It was the first single to be released from their second album This Modern Glitch. The song was added to the A-list on BBC Radio 1.[1]

"Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)"
Single by the Wombats
from the album This Modern Glitch
Released24 September 2010
Recorded2010
GenreAlternative dance, synthpop
Length3:51
Label14th Floor, Bright Antenna
Songwriter(s)Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis, Tord Øverland-Knudsen
Producer(s)Eric Valentine
The Wombats singles chronology
"My Circuitboard City"
(2009)		 "Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)"
(2010)		 "Jump into the Fog"
(2011)

Background

In an interview with Digital Spy, 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."[2]

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

Critical reception

Fraser McAlpine of BBC 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. .[3]

The song also came eighth in the largest music poll in the world, Australian radio station's Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2010.

Chart performance

"Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 3 October 2010, where it debuted at number 23;[4] marking the band's fifth top 40 hit and the third most successful of these behind "Moving to New York" and "Let's Dance to Joy Division", 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.[4] 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.[4]

Track listings
CD single[5]
No.TitleLength
1."Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)"3:51
2."Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" (Grum Remix)5:23
iTunes EP[6]
No.TitleLength
1."Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)"3:51
2."Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" (Grum Remix)5:23
3."Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" (SiN Remix)4:08
4."Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" (AutoKratz Koenji Remix)4:53
5."Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" (Superhumanoids Remix)3:05

Personnel

Charts
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 33
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[9] 71
Germany (Official German Charts)[10] 78
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 66
Scotland (OCC)[12] 23
Switzerland Airplay (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 72
UK Singles (OCC)[4] 23

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Silver 200,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label Catalogue
United Kingdom 24 September 2010 Digital download 14th Floor B0041X915M
27 September 2010 CD single

References
  1. "BBC - Radio 1 Playlist".
  2. "The Wombats confirm single details". Digital Spy. 11 August 2010.
  3. Fraser McAlpine (2 October 2010). "Wombats - 'Tokyo (Vampires And Wolves)'". BBC. bbc.co.uk.
  4. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  5. http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;0;-1;-1;-1&sku=334617
  6. "Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) - EP by the Wombats". iTunes. 24 September 2010.
  7. "The Wombats – This Modern Glitch (2011, CD)". Discogs. 22 April 2011.
  8. "The Wombats – Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  9. "Billboard - Music Charts, News, Photos & Video". Billboard.
  10. "The Wombats – Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  11. "The Wombats – Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  12. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  13. "Schweizer Airplay Charts 46/2010 - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  14. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  15. "British single certifications – Wombats – Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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