“What are we doing here?”
The year 2020 turned what was once quintessential late-night stoner existentialism into a daily mantra for nearly everyone on this planet. What are we doing with our limited time in this life? What is our purpose? What should we be doing?
For the past 25 years, MONO have explored themes such as the relationship between darkness and light; hope in the face of disaster; and the duality of birth and death. On their 12th full-length album, OATH, they ponder the time that makes up life, and how to make the most of that time.
Recorded and mixed with longtime friend and collaborator, Steve Albini, OATH opens like a sunrise with a slowly ascending orchestra and brass section, the full band taking its time to revel in the atmosphere before joining in the splendour. Throughout the album’s 71-minute runtime, MONO meditates on that theme of time and life in myriad ways. The unhurried evolution of a song that is a hallmark of MONO’s catalog is infused with an air of elegance that elevates OATH to new heights.
MONO challenged themselves with a universally relatable existential examination, and answered with OATH, an album that offers benevolent reflection rather than fleeting respite.
“We live with a vow that hasn’t changed since we were children. Hear the wind sing. We are part of the universe. We already know what we should do and what the most important thing in life is.” – Takaakira ‘Taka’ Goto, MONO
Takaakira 'Taka' Goto (Guitar) • Tamaki (Bass, Piano) • Yoda (Guitar) • Dahm (Drums)
The Tokyo, Japan-based 4-piece Instrumental Rock band MONO was originally formed in 1999. Their unique approach of combining moving orchestral arrangements and shoegaze guitar noise is held in extremely high regard; so much so, that the band’s unique musicianship and diverse musical palette have eclipsed the Rock genre and exist within their own realm. As British Musical Magazine NME once stated, “this is music for the Gods”.
Over the first decade, MONO rapidly established a well-acclaimed status, especially with their live performances. Through their annual world tour consisting of around 150 shows, visiting now over 60 countries, both critics and fans of Rock music agree their sheer euphoric, dynamic resonance of performance makes MONO one of the best live bands in existence.
A particularly monumental early live memory was a special set of 10th anniversary shows, held with an orchestra, in New York, Tokyo, London and Melbourne; which was later immortalised as the live album “Holy Ground”. MONO now proudly holds the title of being one of the most internationally successful bands in Japan. For the respective anniversary show in Tokyo, they also had the pleasure of collaborating with NHK Symphony Orchestra master Fuminori Shinozaki.
Outside of the studio and live music, MONO has also made its name as a film score composer. After releasing 10 successful albums including a live album with an orchestra, the band received the highly regarded award The Marshall Hawkins Awards: Best Musical Score - Featurette from the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema for their collaborative short film “Where We Begin” in 2015, and the band was also nominated for Ariel Award for Best Original Music Score for the feature film “The 4th Company” which was released in 2016. In addition, the band handled the music for such media work as the feature film “All God’s Children Can Dance” written by Haruki Murakami, the original TV drama “Kanata No Ko” by Japan’s leading broadcasting network WOWOW, the feature film “Real Onigokko” written and directed by Sion Sono, and more.
In 2018, MONO began a new journey. After welcoming the new drummer Dahm, the band started to prepare for their second decade’s celebration and during this time, they received a special invitation to be one of the headliners of London’s Meltdown Festival, personally requested by the 2018’s curator Robert Smith of The Cure; an unforgettable gesture and honour for the band, from one of the band’s long-time inspirations. The stage was then shared with artists such as My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails, Mogwai and Deftones.
In 2022, the band starts on a new soundtrack work for the documentary film “My Story, the Buraku Story”, directed by Yusaku Mitsuwaka. After nationwide premieres the same year, the film was awarded first place in the Cultural Film Award at the 96th Kinema Junpo Best Ten.
2024 marks the 25th anniversary of MONO. To celebrate this occasion, the band released their 12th album "OATH" on June 14 and toured 16 countries—France, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Japan and the United States—with an orchestra from October to December. Some footage from the New York show was later broadcast by the Japanese TV network NHK on the programme "Catch! World's Top News", featuring exclusive interviews, in January 2025.
The band is now touring across 24 cities in North America.