NJ alternative rock crew Tokyo Rose have released their first single in 19 years.
The East Coast outfit splay driving guitars with emo intonations on “Something Sweeter,” an honest and unerringly infectious comeback. The quartet are also teasing an upcoming EP, set to drop later this year.
Speaking on the new track, vocalist and guitarist Ryan Dominguez shares: “’Something Sweeter,’ the new single from our upcoming EP Phoenician Fire on Manic Kat Records, is our first new music in almost 20 years: seasoned, weathered, distilled to its simplest and most powerful state sonically, lyrically, and artistically.”
Tokyo Rose were formed in 1999 by ex-Senses Fail bassist Mike Glita & Matt Reilly. A consistent force in what would become the iconic New Jersey scene of the early 2000s. The sound, accordingly, was a deeply relatable, perennially heart-on-sleeve brand of rock. Emotive guitars and the rousing vocals captured fans across the U.S. with bold, sweeping melodies capturing a mainstream following.
Personnel changes soon saw Reilly depart, with Ryan Dominguez taking over duties as lead vocalist and guitarist.
Debut full-length Reinventing A Lost Art set the momentum in motion in 2003. But, it would be 2005 LP New American Saint that would truly put Tokyo Rose on the map. Tours with Taking Back Sunday, and a spot on the 2006 Vans Warped Tour soon followed. Accordingly, Tokyo Rose’s innately personal and emotionally resonant live show impressed nationwide.
Though the band continue to tour through present day, The Promise in Compromise would go on to be their last studio album. Last year’s remastered deluxe of the sophomore LP would mark their re-emergence, and the quartet have wasted no time in making a mark on 2026 with new single “Something Sweeter”.
The new track features a reassembled line-up, but a sound imbuing Tokyo Rose at their peak. Indeed, fans are treated to a slice of throwback emo excellence. Blossoming nostalgia for those who adore Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday, but with a sonic allure equally as enticing for modern fans of the genre.
Photo courtesy of Tokyo Rose.
