Fresh off their stage performance at NIPPON HAKU BANGKOK 2026, I Don’t Like Mondays. continues to build bridges across the Asian music scene. Following their set, the band connected with popular Thai acts Scrubb and ETC. band—a networking habit that has increasingly defined their international travels.
Carrying the momentum from their festival weekend, the band unveiled the complete tracklist and guest roster for FRIDAY, their upcoming sixth studio album set to debut on September 25. True to their collaborative spirit, the record welcomes seven diverse guest artists representing various musical eras and styles. High-profile names like GAN (Takanori Iwata of Sandaime J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE), m-flo’s ⭐︎Taku Takahashi, claquepot, NAOTO of ORANGE RANGE, GeG, ZEN-LA-ROCK, and SHO-SENSEI!! seamlessly blend into the group’s trademark Tokyo City Pop framework. This project marks a major turning point, representing the first time the band has broadly opened their creative doors to outside voices after a decade of self-reliant sonic cultivation.
The most sentimental track on the album is “1989,” which features a first-time collaboration between vocalist YU and his childhood friend, actor-musician Takanori Iwata (credited as GAN). Produced by GeG, the song features lyrics co-written by the duo, successfully capturing over 30 years of friendship within the track.
On “GENIUS,” the band pairs artist ZEN-LA-ROCK with producer NAOTO of ORANGE RANGE, while the dance-heavy “ODORE” aligns SHO-SENSEI!! with m-flo’s ⭐︎Taku Takahashi. The record brings things full circle with the closing track, “DON’T WANNA DIE.” Originally written by YU for Hiromitsu Kitayama seven years ago in 2019, this marks the first time the vocalist has recorded his own version of the song. In total, FRIDAY spans 14 tracks, consisting of five fresh studio cuts and nine familiar singles leading back to “jealous.”
Fans won’t have to wait until the album drop to hear the new collaborations, as the band is planning a staggered release schedule. “1989” will lead the charge, debuting alongside its music video on September 7, followed closely by the premiere of “ODORE” a week later on September 16.
These milestone collaborations are the direct result of a spectacular year of growth across Asia. The band’s 2025 regional tour saw overwhelming success, selling out all 5,500 tickets across six major mainland Chinese cities, while their highly anticipated sets at the Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing, Dongguan, Shanghai, and Guangzhou drew a massive collective audience of 60,000 festival-goers. Building on that triumph, their “TOXIC ASIA TOUR 2026” swept through Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Seoul this past spring, locking in the dedicated global fanbase that eagerly greeted their return to Thailand just last week.
Their massive cultural footprint is fully supported by hard data. The group’s music reaches listeners across 165 countries and territories, consistently securing top-10 positions on Spotify and Apple Music charts throughout Taiwan, Mainland China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia. Furthermore, their presence on dominant Chinese social media networks like Weibo, RED, and Bilibili has skyrocketed by over 1,000% year-on-year, solidifying their reputation as one of the most heavily monitored Japanese acts in the region today.
Following the release of FRIDAY, the band will immediately embark on the “FRIDAY MOOD JAPAN TOUR 2026.” The concert series features 11 performances across 8 cities, beginning in Sapporo on October 3 and concluding at Zepp DiverCity in Tokyo on December 5.
Having spent a decade defying the traditional boundaries of Japanese rock to capture the unadulterated euphoria of a weekend release, the band has reached a creative pinnacle. FRIDAY stands as arguably their finest masterpiece to date—a definitive launchpad positioned to carry their sound far beyond the Asian circuit and onto the global stage.
Release Information
6th Studio Album: FRIDAY
Release Date: 25 September, Friday
Tracklist
- Bubble Gum feat. claquepot
- 1989 feat. GAN (Takanori Iwata) [Prod. GeG]
- GENIUS feat. ZEN-LA-ROCK [Prod. NAOTO]
- ODORE feat. SHO-SENSEI!! [Prod. ⭐︎Taku Takahashi]
- カミナリ Kaminari
- Groooovy
- jealous
- kiri がないですわ
- With you
- 切ないラブソングはいらない Setsunai Love Song wa Iranai
- マスカレード Masquerade
- LOVE TRIGGER
- Just Like That
- DON’T WANNA DIE
, m-flo's Taku Takahashi, and more.){kind=link}