Song · Wombats
“Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)” by Wombats
From the EP This Acoustic Glitch (2011)
“Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)” by Wombats appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2010 and 2020. It was first released in 2011 on the EP This Acoustic Glitch. Its best result is #8 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2010. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #368 alternative song of 2011.
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Video from YouTube (The Wombats). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" was the first single the Wombats pulled from This Modern Glitch, their second album, and it's where the Liverpool band traded a debut cut mostly live for something glossier and more electric. Singer Matthew Murphy said the synth-pop turn simply happened: more keyboards, less of his guitar. Drummer Dan Haggis said this time they had room to fool around with the sound.
Underneath the shiny hooks, by Murphy's own account, it's a jittery, anxious song about wanting to bolt from everything, escapism being a Wombats specialty. BBC Radio 1 put it on the A-list, and even the sleeve got in on the theme, drawn to resemble a map of Tokyo.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 8 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2010 | 100 |
| 2011 | 66 | WFNX Boston, MA | WFNX Top 101 Songs of 2011 | 101 |
| 2011 | 75 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 102 Songs of 2011 | 102 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 31 | Triple J | Triple J Hottest 100 of the 2010s (2020) | 100 |
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