Tokyo Tea Room are the psych/dream-pop project of Canterbury-based Daniel Elliott and Ben Marshall. Tokyo Tea Room describe themselves as “melodic bass lines, hypnotic guitar riffs and dreamy synths (that) form a unique sound“. With Daniel on guitar and Ben on bass, the two are joined by 4 close friends and musicians: Beth Plumb (vocals, keys), Sam Teather (drums), Ryan Debling (guitar) Graham Nunn on synth.
Their new single ‘Always Tomorrow’ was released on the 12th of July: it’s super mellow and dreamy, and sounds like it’s underpinned by a typical Men I Trust retro groove, only this time adorned with the ethereal guitars that I often miss with the aforementioned project, which gives it a more dreampop/ shoegaze vibe. This vibe is enforced by the subdued, hazy vocals but then deflected by an instrumental chorus that is more psych-poppy, along the lines of Vanishing Twin, Jackson Boone etc. So altogether, a perfect blend of all that is good in indie-music as we know it today. I do hope they will continue along this route.
‘Always Tomorrow’ was meant “evokes a retrospective sense of evaluation on time and relationships. It rings a motto: here today, gone tomorrow”, and recorded and mixed at Roswell Recordings by Daniel Elliott.
