The essential Man with a Mission
Some bands are born in a garage when a group of friends starts slapping instruments together to make some sounds. Some are manufactured by producers with very specific talents and aesthetics in mind. And some, like Japan’s Man with a Mission, are created in a lab somewhere by a mad scientist with a vial of wolf DNA and a need for great music.
This backstory, and the wolf costume gimmick that comes with it, is the basis for one of the most exciting bands in Japan at the moment.
Man with a Mission are on a musical mission
If you’ve spotted some of our monthly JRock round-ups in the past, you’ll have heard the music of Man with a Mission already. These genetically engineered ultimate lifeforms were, according to their own backstory, created by Jimi Hendrix – yes, that Jimi Hendrix – and frozen in Antarctica for years before escaping and unleashing their genre-mashing music upon the Japanese music scene.
Since then, Tokyo Tanaka has served as both leader and singer for the group along with Jean-Ken Johnny on guitar and rapping, Kamikaze Boy on bass guitar, DJ Santa Monica on the turntables, and Spear Rib on drums.
The full lineup of Man with a Mission fully embraces the band’s gimmick, never breaking character during interviews or shows. Their music combines elements of nu-metal and rap with the purest essence of punk rock energy in their performances. Since forming in 2010, they’ve put out a total of six full studio albums plus had several of their singles featured as the opening or closing themes for anime and films in Japan.
These wolves are bona fide rockstars with fans all around the world. And hopefully their recent signing with our friends at JPU Records will mean even more of their music makes its way to the UK and the west in general.
If they’ve got your attention, here are some of our favourite Man with a Mission tracks to sink your teeth into.
Dead End in Tokyo
Like many songs in the Man with a Mission catalogue, Dead End in Tokyo pushes and bends the different genres that it supposedly fits into.
At times, it is heavy on the electric rock that has influenced the band since it formed more than a decade ago, but the energy and message are pure punk at its heart. The lyrics tell the story of the inequality that exists in a city like Tokyo, with glitz and glamour being inaccessible to the poorest, and to the many young people attempting to start their lives there.
Fans of Fall Out Boy might find nuggets of familiarity here, as Patrick Stump served as co-writer and co-producer for the track.
Merry-Go-Round
When My Hero Academia needed a theme song for its My Villain Academia arc, it is easy to see why they tapped Man with a Mission to do the honours.
This track gives us everything we’ve come to expect from the band, with a powerful chorus that embodies the sense of drama and heroism that the show is known for, with a suitably powerful drum beat pounding throughout.
Man with a Mission’s sound is perfectly encapsulated in this song, and it is worth listening to even if you’ve never watched the anime.
Into the Deep
This song feels like the most experimental song in the band’s catalogue, with multiple effects on singer Tokyo Tanaka’s voice followed by the rapping of guitarist Jean-Ken Johnny.
But for all the effects and production on display here, with sound effects trickling in through the drums and guitar, Man with a Mission are still undeniably rock. The song has a raw edge to it that energises the listener. This song played over the closing credits to the Japanese version of kaiju mash-up Godzilla vs. Kong.
Are you a Man with a Mission fan? We’d love to hear what your favourite tracks are — so feel free to share ’em down in the comments, via the usual social channels or on the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page!
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