TAKURO Discusses the Inner Conflict After GLAY's 30th Anniversary and the Journey to Completing the New Album

GLAY released their 18th original album, 『旅する理由を待ちながら』, on October 21, 2026. In an interview with RealSound, leader TAKURO spoke about the doubts he carried after wrapping up the band's 30th anniversary year, and how he rediscovered GLAY's impulse as a band.

Details

On October 21, 2026, Real Sound published an interview with TAKURO. Timed to the same-day release of GLAY's 18th original album 『旅する理由を待ちながら』, the interview touched on the doubts he felt after finishing the band's 30th anniversary year.

At the final show of the hall tour 『HIGHCOMMUNICATIONS TOUR 2026 “GLAY-complete BEST”』, held on May 26, 2026 at Tokyo Garden Theater, TAKURO had revealed, "I kept struggling with what GLAY's next move should be." The album was originally progressing under the working title 『EXOFIRE』, but as production continued, TAKURO's own mindset shifted, and the title eventually settled on 『旅する理由を待ちながら』. In the interview, TAKURO said, "I don't want to expose GLAY to the illusion of growth," reflecting on the process of reclaiming the band's impulse and purity.

The album features 15 tracks in total, including "悲願 GLAY×世武裕子 feat.小田和正," a collaboration with Kazumasa Oda, "Dead Or Alive," the opening theme for the anime 『終末のワルキューレⅢ』, "NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN," the second-cour opening theme for 『ダイヤのA act Ⅱ -Second Season-』, the single "汚れた英雄," and "EXOFIRE," a song polished through live performances.

Connection to GLAY's Journey So Far

GLAY's 30th anniversary year kicked off on June 9, 2024 with 『GLAY EXPO 2024-2025 in BELLUNA DOME』, followed by the release of their previous original album, 『Back To The Pops』, on October 1 of that year. The band marked this milestone year with large-scale performances, including shows at Tokyo Dome and Kyocera Dome Osaka.

This new album was created after wrapping up that major 30th anniversary milestone. The process of first performing the new songs at January's 『LAWSON 50th Anniversary presents GLAY Special LIVE』, then further refining them during the hall tour starting in March before completing the album, reflects a very GLAY-like approach of feeding live performance momentum back into the recording process.

One More Thing

To coincide with the album's release, live shows have been scheduled for two days, October 22 and 23, 2026, at Tokyo SGC Hall Ariake. The October 22 show is open to purchasers of the 64th single "汚れた英雄," while the October 23 show is open to those who pre-ordered the album 『旅する理由を待ちながら』 at participating stores. Fans can apply for entry using the serial numbers included with the single or the album pre-order bonus.

One point revealed in this interview is that the new album's title changed during production from 『EXOFIRE』 to 『旅する理由を待ちながら』. While listening to the album, it might be enjoyable to trace the feelings embedded in that shift in wording.