MAN WITH A MISSION – XV e.p. (E.P Review)

The Japanese rock favourites return to commemorate their momentous 15th anniversary with an E.P celebrating both new and old accomplishments.

Many who already know MAN WITH A MISSION, a rock band formed in 2010 in Shibuya, Japan, are likely to merely characterise them by their eccentric look; all five members donning wolf masks to disguise their real identities and play into the band’s colourful backstory. While their unconventional appearance has no doubt contributed to a great amount of publicity and interest throughout the band’s career, the band’s music catalogue is even more enthralling.

Combining nu-metal and dance-pop to create a playful yet adrenaline-fuelled listening experience, the band sound both self-assured and more creative than ever on their ‘XV e.p.’ which contains four new songs followed by eight live recordings of some of their greatest hits from their 2024 North American tour ‘Kizuna no Kiseki’ in Mexico.

The E.P opens with the first of the band’s new offerings – ‘Vertigo’. Beginning with a pronounced drum beat paired with punchy guitars, the song instantly captures listeners’ attention with its grandiose introduction and promise of another high-energy MWAM banger. Alongside the song’s pounding beat, singer and guitarist Jean-Ken Johnny begins his signature rap, which is delivered with all of the bravado and cynicism that the vocalist is known to unleash within the band’s most upbeat and attitude-filled tracks. Throughout his swaggering verse, Johnny tears apart the greed of modern people “Go for whatever, lust for the better, We’re all so goddamn hypnotised”, which is only intensified by his razor sharp delivery and sardonic tone.

After a hook-filled pre-chorus, ‘Vertigo’s chorus thunders in on a wave of sound that only MWAM could make sound so charmingly joyous. The deep and husky tone of main vocalist Tokyo Tanaka melding with Johnny’s melodious vocal calls is one of the biggest draws to what make the band’s choruses resonantly powerful and emotionally soulful, and ‘Vertigo’ again takes full advantage of this. Johnny’s rhythmical rap verse immediately after this highlights MWAM’s far-reaching appeal to audiences through their experimentation with genre and their ability to capture the hearts of Japanese and international listeners alike with their bilingual music catalogue.

The second track is ‘Circles’, which encapsulates an entirely different sound from the E.P’s opening track. Starting with a more contained, guitar-led intro, the song is kicked off with Johnny examining the hardships and doubts that we must face in life and ultimately overcome (“Every history and your life is made, Proven and told by your scars and blisters”). The slow-burn build-up of the track through the verses effectively allow for the sentiment within the lyrics to take centre stage, while being passionately delivered by the band’s vocalists. Therefore, the chorus feels undeniably nostalgic and ever more heartwarming sung by this ensemble of soulful voices. Tanaka ultimately reassures listeners that the future is surely bright for those willing to fight for it (“Fear no more nor lament, your life is beautiful”).

The following track, ‘Reaching For The Sky’, which was initially released as a single in January 2025, seems to combine the emotional nuances from both previous tracks on the album while strengthening the song’s drive in a hard-rock arrangement with a hard-hitting lyrical message. Utilising their trademark mixed Japanese and English lyrics, ‘Reaching For The Sky’ is uplifting in the extreme; from the optimistic declarations to live freely and without regrets, to the surprise tempo change-up and breakdown at the end of the track.

The experimental soft-rock ‘Whispers Of The Fake’ will feel for many loyal listeners of the band like an unexpected shift in musical style. Starting off with Tanaka’s unmistakably rich vocal tone over an acoustic guitar backing, the song soon transitions to an irrepressible ear-worm chorus melody, where Johnny and Tanaka smoothly harmonise over a country-esque arrangement. It’s certainly not what fans may be used to, but MWAM easily manage to make this track just as enchanting as any of their hard-rock hits.

The eight live tracks consist of a range of new and old anthems, feverishly backed by the frenzied screams of their live audience. There is one particular stand-out though in the form of ‘Blaze’, which is featured for the very first time as an acoustic version. Originally a powerful rock jam off of 2022’s ‘Break and Cross The Walls II’, the track is toned down to a breathtaking solo stage with Johnny’s sonorous vocals echoing out a passionate tale of determination and inner strength. If this doesn’t tempt you to catch one of their incredible live shows, nothing will.

Score/Outstanding: It feels as if 15 years have blurred by for the fans and for the band, but the ‘XV e.p.’ shows that the quality of MWAM’s music has definitely not diminished, but has rather become more exceptional as the years go by. Here’s to another fifteen years.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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