PAINT Hitmakers Are Back — And Bigger Than Ever in 2026
Three and a half years after “PAINT” turned One Piece’s 24th opening into a moment anime fans still talk about, I Don’t Like Mondays. is proving that was only the beginning. The band just dropped “Groooovy,” the new ending theme for BLACK TORCH, alongside a cryptic teaser for their first full album since “RUNWAY” — and paired it with a world tour announcement that signals their biggest year yet.
From PAINT to Groooovy: A New Anime Era Begins
I Don’t Like Mondays. closes each episode of BLACK TORCH, the anime adaptation of Tsuyoshi Takaki’s cult-favorite manga. The story follows Jiro, a descendant of ninja, whose encounter with the legendary supernatural black cat Rasetsu pulls him into a battle alongside mysterious spirits known as ayakashi — a darker, more atmospheric world than the one that gave rise to “PAINT.”
Fittingly, “Groooovy” trades the urgency of that earlier hit for something looser: a slow, smooth groove built on live band instrumentation with a club-ready pulse underneath, carrying the message that imperfection is where the beauty is. Vocalist YU draws a direct line between the song and the series it soundtracks: “BLACK TORCH is a story about imperfect people who keep moving forward anyway. That felt close to the feeling we’ve always worked with, that even if you hate Mondays, Friday is coming.”
Details on the long-teased album remain under wraps, but the timing points to one of the band’s busiest creative stretches in years — their first full-length project since “RUNWAY.”
A World Tour Cements Their Global Rise
The momentum won’t stay confined to the studio. I Don’t Like Mondays. will hit the road with the FRIDAY MOOD JAPAN TOUR 2026, an 11-date run across eight cities beginning in October and closing out at Zepp DiverCity (TOKYO) in December.
The tour builds on two years of rapid international growth, including a sold-out run across six mainland China cities and the TOXIC ASIA TOUR 2026, which took the band through Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Seoul. Each stop has widened their footprint well beyond Japan’s anime music scene and into a broader global fan base.
For a band whose entire identity is built on the idea that Fridays are worth waiting for, this summer suggests the wait may finally be paying off. Between a new anime theme, a long-awaited album and another major international tour, I Don’t Like Mondays. is entering one of the most exciting chapters of its career — and giving anime fans and music fans alike plenty of reasons to watch what comes next.
