The lupine Japanese five-piece Man With a Mission are celebrating fifteen years on the rock scene this year, and as a part of the celebrations are releasing a new EP, XV. The band from Shibuya, Tokyo established themselves as one of the leads of the scene in Japan by not only writing songs with a distinctive style to them, but also diving into anime and making such fan favourite songs as 'Seven Deadly Sins'. The celebratory EP has only four new originals, whereas the rest of the EP is made up of live recordings from the Mexican date on band’s latest tour.
Full of catchy guitar riffs, great vocals and memorable melody, ‘Vertigo’ is definitely a song worthy of being the opener. The band is using motifs that are very familiar to them, but bends them to make something completely new. By combining rap and singing together, the group give air to two contrasting styles that work together and compliment each other throughout the runtime of the song.
‘Circles’ lets us know who wrote the song immediately, as the style is so distinctive to the band. A little slower than the opener but just as punchy, the track takes the listeners to a musical paradise with all elements clicking wonderfully together. Sang completely in English, as are the first and fourth tracks, the song could be easily be used as an opening or closing song for an anime.
The lead single of the EP, ‘REACHING FOR THE SKY’, is the only song from the four new songs that is predominantly written in Japanese. The melody of the song is swift and punchy, and the whole track showcases the band’s talent to the maximum. ‘whispers of the fake’ is the fourth and the last of the new tracks. Starting off acoustic and gradually adding electric guitars, the song carries on in a fairly typical modern rock manner, being a good pick for the “closing” song of the originals. As the song reaches its end, we're surprised by a set of bagpipes playing, in a pleasant and very much welcome surprise addition.
After the packed showcase of four new songs, we then reach eight live recordings from the band’s Mexican show on their recent 'Kizuna no Kiseki' tour. Being presented with the band’s fan favourite songs such as ‘Kizuna no Kiseki’, ‘Merry-Go-Round’ or ‘Seven Deadly Sins’, we can go back in time and enjoy the concert from the attendees perspective, even if just in listening. It is a great way to connect the fans more with the band, and live recordings have of course long been a staple of the music world - but to combine a live recording with originals in this fashion feels a little awkward, as either set of songs could have been a release in their own right, but instead they've been pushed together into a slightly bloated 12 track EP.
The XV EP is a great way to celebrate Man With a Mission’s anniversary and accomplishments throughout the years, as they are marching forward to more success. New tracks are well written and memorable, alas it is just four of them. It brings a certain amount of nostalgia to listen to the live recordings, although some listeners might choose to not listen to them at all. As the band is coming back to Europe and United Kingdom with their ‘Howling Across the World’ tour in October, we wish them good luck and congratulations on the memorable milestone.
Score: 6/10
'XV ' will be released on March 12th 2025 via Century Media and Sony Music.
Words: Katerina Stepanikova
Photos: Man With A Mission
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