A pulsating blend of indie and alternative, pop and rock, the throbbing anthems on Blueprint Tokyo’s latest studio album and a colorful love affair to the sound of iconic 80s and 90s outfits, as well as an energizing message of resilience and hope for better times to come. Neon Circuits and the Mission of Hope is an exhilarating and thoroughly crafted listen.
Hailing from Oklahoma City, Blueprint Tokyo are a five-piece group with a fresh and delightful sound that is exemplified on Neon Circuits and the Mission of Hope, their latest grandiose, 16-cut album, in the shape of driving rhythms and powerful grooves colored with unforgettable melodies and a stunning attention to detail. The gorgeous listen is easy and carefully balanced for its length, and is full to the brim with tight performances and crisply crafted hooks, and a sound that will take you through a journey through the decades.
On the group’s latest release we find a sublime collection of tunes the display the band’s songwriting capabilities as well and their musicianship. With songs loaded with textures and atmosphere, to touching melodies and captivating instrumental cues, on Neon Circuits and the Mission of Hope we find a group that took Coldplay at their most energetic, blended them with The Cars’s penchant for drama, and The Killers’s superb ear for atmospheric song building, and the results are delightful.
From the rocking starter ‘Say Anything’ which borrows a page from Muse’s bombastic flamboyance found on The Resistance, its subdued elegance, percussive synths and emotive, prominent melodies, we know right away that we are in for a treat. ‘Take My Breath’ introduces the Tokyo to Blueprint Tokyo with its fantastic saxophone performance that elevates an already compelling and groove piece of indie rock to a whole new level of atmospheric presence.
The rhythmic menace found on ‘Stranger Things’ is coupled with a superbly written piece of tearjerking melodies and an unmistakable anthemic quality. One of the album’s boldest cuts, ‘Stranger Things’ is a fantastic shapeshifter that sees Blueprint Tokyo throw in a bit of Arcade Fire whimsy to the mix. ‘Stand and Deliver’ is a perfectly touching piece of subdued grace and an amazing pace. Doubling down on what has become a bit of habit for the album having terrific bass lines that beautifully color the lower registers, ‘Stand and Deliver’ is a simply beautiful mid-album cornerstone. ‘Only Hearts’ showcase a gorgeously spacy face to the sound of the band. A song heavy on emotional vocal wails and melancholic descending chord structures, ‘Only Hearts’ is also a rather softly colored cut with ample atmospheres delivered via spacious and stellar synth pads.
‘Transfer’ is the outfit on their scruffiest and hairiest guise throughout the whole album, but not without their graceful hint of atmospheric charisma in the shape of background pads that effortlessly support the song’s multiple overdriven riffs and hard-as-stone drum part. Anthemic rock tendencies continue on the next cut ‘Infused’. A steady and confident pace is delivered by the groovy and intricate beats, the vocals continue to be rowdy and menacing a la Jimmy Eat World with songwriting that is as touching, compelling, and easygoing as it has been since the start of the album. The album’s penultimate cut ‘Take Me Anyplace’ is the most “The Cars” this album ever gets. The stirring synth riffs and chirpy pace is as 80s as it gets. A wonderful piece of decade-hopping indie pop with an unforgettable charm.
‘Sailor Girl’ bookends this lengthy and explosive listen with one more sweet appearance from the stunning saxophone while continuing to deliver on the album’s promise of exciting songs that inspire and deliver hope. The album’s words have consistently been as touching as its musical ideas with lines that speak of resilience against hardships and of our innate ability to find hope in the grimmest of situations, giving us ultimately an album that is thoroughly uplifting throughout its rather consistent runtime of enjoyable songs. Blueprint Tokyo display stellar focus to a sonic fingerprint that becomes apparent and distinct early on in the listen, staying throughout and giving the album an enjoyable sense of cohesion.
