Every once in a while, a band comes along that makes me reconsider the genres it falls under.

This time, Canadian indie pop band Tokyo Police Club surprised me with their enthusiasm and sense of exploration not typical of their classmates, who tend to fade into the background after their first track. The band will be storming the stage as Middlewest Fest’s headlining act this year at the Egyptian Theater, 135 N. 2nd St., Saturday at 11 p.m.

Elephant Shell, their first album, has plenty of catchy songs, but is outgunned by their sophomore album, Champ. Greg Alsop, Tokyo Police Club’s drummer, said there were two major differences between the production of Elephant Shell and Champ.

“Skill and experience dictated the style of Elephant Shell; it was more of an experiment of what to do and how we wanted to do it,” he said.

The band was self-conscious about how Elephant Shell would be received, but once the reviews started rolling in, they grew more comfortable with themselves, which led to the experimentation present in Champ, Alsop said.

In that sense, Champ feels more like their debut album than Elephant Shell does, and the song “Bambi” is one of the best examples of what they can accomplish. The song is eerie and frantic, and you’ll find yourself tapping your foot to its beat long after the song is over.

“‘Bambi’ was one Dave [David Monks, bass/vocals] came up with by cutting up guitar samples,” Alsop said. “The loop clicked and was written in a matter of hours.”

There was self-doubt about the song, he said, which led to repeated remolding, even though the song ironically made it on to the album with little changed.

Besides “Bambi,” songs like “Frankenstein,” “Favourite Colour” and “Favourite Food” offer a possible preview of Tokyo Police Club’s future, although Alsop mentioned that the band is starting to fall back in love with being a simple rock band again, which was sparked by the respect they have for minimalist bands who create stunning work.

Alsop said their set list at Middlewest will include material from both albums, with “Tessellate” and “Breakneck Speed” to make sure appearances, but it’s also possible that they will play songs the band covered as part of their “Ten Songs, Ten Hours, Ten Days, Ten Years” project, where the band chose ten songs from the past decade that influenced them the most.

“The songs aren’t rehearsed at the moment,” Alsop stressed. “But I would love to do ‘Long Distance Call’ by Phoenix (from 2006) or ‘Strictly Game’ by Harlem Shakes (2009).”

Tokyo Police Club is definitely a band to keep watching. They still have room to grow, and if any hint can be taken from Champ, they will keep doing just that. Whether it’s growth through boundary-pushing experimentation or the honing of more traditional skills, Tokyo Police Club’s enthusiasm for music will still continue to be a driving force.