Having been playing across the states for more than a decade, Blueprint Tokyo are a storied indie rock outfit who have tales to tell. Right on the brink of becoming full time musicians, Kevin was diagnosed with a degenerative bone disease forcing him to stop. After an arduous path to recovery, the duo restarted their musical journey with a freshness and an oath to make something hopeful in times where we’re all in need of that optimism. That rebirth almost is exemplified in the name of their new project. ‘A Whole New Life’ has that air to it, an undying elation at the world around us that’s unsullied by adversity. Four tracks long, with an energy and confident aggression, it’s a well knit together collection of powerful indie rock music.
On ‘Panic Carefully’, the duo unleash a flurry of punchy rock arrangements that combine more traditional sounds with synths and new wave. The vocals are pained, a longing emotion tying up the heavier elements of the track. There’s an earnest hopefulness to this record, an almost Springsteen-esque clarion call of a chorus. That’s what made me relish ‘A Whole New Life’ so much, it’s energetic to the point of being a stadium rock album. But its also deeply emotive, the kind of raw and unfiltered vulnerability that has you yearning to walk into a new day with a purpose. ‘Take Me Anyplace’ has that Journey like anthemic feeling to it. You feel like there’s a life to be had, places to go, a story to pen down.
It’s rare to come across modern rock music that’s grounded and real while still being hopeful. Blueprint Tokyo are in a unique class of artists, amongst them contemporaries like Sam Fender might be compared. It’s anthemic and loaded with feeling, the best kind of music to make you believe in a better tomorrow.