Sharing their name with (but reportedly not named after) The Boomtown Rats' 1979 anthem, rock band I Don't Like Mondays. recently marked their 10th anniversary. They've steadily built up a discography over the last decade, including "ONE
PIECE" theme song PAINT, and its latest addition, the EP FOCUS, was released on October 9th.
Congratulations on your 10th anniversary! How has your sound and approach to music evolved over the past decade, especially with your latest EP FOCUS
?
SHUKI: In our early debut albums, PLAY and TOKYO, we threw ourselves wholeheartedly into the production of each song. In a single work, you could find EDM-like tracks, hard rock elements, and UK-inspired songs. We created using
a variety of genres for our fans to enjoy. Now, ten years later, while we still incorporate different genres, we have defined our band's identity more narrowly, allowing us to convey our band's color and the music we want to create more clearly.
You described RUNWAY
as an album meant to push things forward. Now that the album has made an impact, what aspects of your musical evolution do you wish to explore in your upcoming projects, such as FOCUS
?
SHUKI:FOCUS is like a continuation of
RUNWAY. Through the production of RUNWAY, we confirmed the kind of music we wanted to create. For FOCUS, we carefully selected songs with our live performances in mind, only including the songs we felt were necessary for us now.
Your recent performances have taken you to places like Brazil, Spain, and China. How has the experience of performing internationally influenced your music and stage presence?
CHOJI: During the pandemic, we couldn't perform live, so we made songs with the intention that people would listen to them alone at home or through earphones. But as things calmed down and we started performing live again, including overseas, it
gave us confidence that "the music we’ve been making was not wrong." Not long ago, performing overseas made us nervous, and we would change our performance style. However, now we maintain the same mindset and perform with the same energy both in Japan
and abroad.
With your growing international fanbase, how do you balance incorporating global trends into your music while staying true to your unique identity?
CHOJI: It’s an extremely difficult balance. Globally, various genres, mainly hip-hop, are becoming trends. However, if we carelessly adopt trends that are far from our band's identity, our creativity becomes inconsistent, and we risk confusing
our fans. We always carefully consider which trends to incorporate, how to incorporate them, and how to express "I Don’t Like Mondays." through them.
PAINT, your theme song for "ONE PIECE", was incredibly popular. How did the opportunity to create music for such an iconic anime impact your career and creative process?
KENJI: Honestly, at the start of production process of PAINT, we felt a lot of pressure. Almost everyone in Japan knows "ONE PIECE", and previous theme songs were all performed by major artists. So, while creating the song, we were particularly
mindful of preserving the world of "ONE PIECE". Thanks to this song, we got to perform in many cities around the world, and for that, we are grateful.
Your music is often described as evoking a sensation similar to "driving through the city." Can you talk more about how urban life influences your sound and lyrics?
KENJI: We live in Tokyo, but we still get excited when we go to particularly urban areas of the city. We cherish that feeling and aim to create songs that make fans feel the excitement of being in a city, no matter where they listen to our music.
Your hobbies are quite diverse, from record collecting to gourmet tours. How do these personal interests outside of music contribute to your creativity as a band?
YU: Personally, I believe music is closely connected to all other cultures. Many people decorate their homes with records, which is another way to enjoy music besides just listening to it. The emotions we gain from our hobbies outside of music
often influence our process.
You've been actively participating in festivals across Asia, Europe, and South America. Are there any specific cultural elements or music scenes from these regions that have inspired your recent work?
YU: Rather than inspiration for production, we found many aspects of live performances to be helpful. In Japan, there is a culture of quietly listening to lyrics. However, in Europe and South America, people enthusiastically respond to the music,
even if they don't understand the lyrics. There have been many times when a song we thought was a quiet listen turned out to be unexpectedly exciting, broadening the range of our live performances.
Looking ahead, what are some goals you have for the future of I Don't Like Mondays., both musically and in terms of your live performances?
SHUKI: We want to perform live in larger venues where we can do the kind of stage production that we envision.
Can you share any behind-the-scenes stories or challenges you faced while working on your latest projects, especially your EP FOCUS?
CHOJI: We had finished a song called
Change quite early on, but when we compared it to the other songs, it felt a bit too pop. So, we made a significant change to the vocal melody right before we completed it.
As you continue to break barriers between Japanese and Western music, how do you see your role in the global music scene evolving in the coming years?
KENJI: With the widespread use of music streaming services, I feel that J-pop's presence has rapidly increased worldwide. Since we incorporate many Western music elements, I think our songs are easy for international listeners to enjoy. I hope
we can be one of the reasons J-pop continues to gain more attention in the future.
Can we expect to see you in Europe for a tour?
YU: We always want to, but nothing is set yet! So please listen to our music, recommend it to your friends, and help us become a band that catches the attention of the European music industry!
Do you have a message for your fans in France?
YU: Je t'aime!
JaME would like to thank the members of I Don't Like Mondays. for this interview opportunity.
I Don't Like Mondays. also kindly recorded a video message for JaME's 20th anniversary. Check out their comment below:
*Turn on captions to watch with English subtitles.
