HMV Campaign Announced to Celebrate the Release of New Album 『旅する理由を待ちながら』

To coincide with the release of GLAY's 18th Album 『旅する理由を待ちながら』 on October 21, 2026, it has been announced that a campaign will be held at HMV stores nationwide. The campaign includes the sale of select merchandise from the arena tour「EXOFIRE」, as well as benefits related to LAWSON 50th Anniversary.

Details

On October 18, 2026, GLAY's official website announced an HMV campaign to celebrate the release of the 18th Album 『旅する理由を待ちながら』. The campaign has two main components: the sale of select merchandise from the arena tour「EXOFIRE」at HMV stores, and benefits related to「LAWSON 50th Anniversary presents GLAY Special LIVE」.

Prior to this, HMV&BOOKS online had already offered an early reservation campaign featuring a postcard set exclusive to @Loppi and HMV (featuring live visuals from LAWSON 50th Anniversary presents GLAY Special LIVE) as a bonus. This latest store campaign continues in that same spirit.

In addition, pre-ordering the 18th Album at participating online shops comes with a serial number that allows purchasers to apply for tickets to the purchaser-exclusive live event『GLAY EXCLUSIVE LIVE 2026 “EXOFIRE” ～THE BEGINNING～』. Participating shops include HMV&BOOKS online, G-DIRECT, Tower Records Online, Rakuten Books, 7net, and Amazon.

Connections to GLAY's Journey So Far

This is not the first time a campaign has been tied to physical stores. For the single『whodunit-GLAY × JAY(ENHYPEN)-/シェア』released on May 29, 2024, a similar initiative was carried out in which a support QR code was distributed to purchasers at participating HMV stores. The current HMV campaign can be seen as following in that tradition.

『旅する理由を待ちながら』 began production after「GLAY 30th Anniversary GLAY EXPO 2024-2025 GRAND FINALE」came to a close on December 10, 2025, as the band sought to explore what the 'next GLAY' would look like. The album's working title during production was「EXOFIRE」, but as the process unfolded, TAKURO's mindset shifted, and the title was ultimately finalized as it stands now. The lead single『汚れた英雄』, released on September 23, 2026, is also included on this album.

Additional Notes

The album itself will be released on October 21, 2026. Starting at 8:00 PM that same day, a「GLAY特集リスニングパーティー」will be held on the AWA Lounge, featuring exclusive voice messages from the members on air.

The purchaser-exclusive live event『GLAY EXCLUSIVE LIVE 2026 “EXOFIRE” ～THE BEGINNING～』will take place over two days at SGCホール有明 in Tokyo: October 22, 2026 (for purchasers of『汚れた英雄』) and October 23, 2026 (for those who pre-ordered the 18th Album). Applications require the serial number provided upon purchasing the respective target item at a participating shop.

Also on the horizon is the nationwide arena tour「GLAY ARENA TOUR 2026-2027 “EXOFIRE”」, in support of the new album.