Rodrigo y Gabriela Team With Japanese Jazz Virtuoso Hiromi on “Akatsuki”

Named for the secret organization of mercenary ninjas in the seminal manga series Naruto, “Akatsuki” reflects Rodrigo y Gabriela’s long-standing love of anime and the profound influence Japanese culture has had on their creative relationship with Japan. The idea emerged while Quintero was watching the series during late nights in the studio as the duo worked on early demos in Los Angeles. Drawn to the emotional depth of the Akatsuki storyline and the character Pain, she suggested the title to Sánchez. Months later, after watching the series himself, he agreed it perfectly captured the spirit of the composition. Expansive, searching, and charged with moody grandeur, the instrumental piece draws from Naruto‘s exploration of Buddhist cosmology, rebirth, compassion, and the shifting boundaries between hero and villain.

Across the track, Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero weave shadowy guitar lines and tempestuous rhythms around Hiromi’s gorgeously mercurial piano work. The result brings together three musicians whose highly physical approaches to their instruments blur the boundaries between melody, rhythm, and percussion.

“It’s so amazing to watch Hiromi play,” says Sánchez. “She was a child prodigy, but she has this incredible energy and adds a lot of percussive sounds – almost like us, but on piano instead of guitar.”

For Hiromi, the collaboration also carried a special connection to place and the ideas that inspired the composition.

“It was so nice to have them in my home country, and playing the beautiful piece inspired by Japanese manga,” says Hiromi. “I hope we can play the piece for the audience one day! Would be so much fun!”

The collaboration also reflects one of the album’s central ideas: bringing together artists whose shared admiration for Japanese culture created an unusually organic musical conversation.

Tickets for the newly announced dates will be available through a series of pre-sales beginning August 19th. Fan club pre-sales for both Australia and Japan begin Wednesday, August 19th at 5pm local time, followed by artist pre-sales on Thursday, August 20th at 9am local time. General on-sale begins Friday, August 28th at 9am local time in Australia and Saturday, September 12th at 10:00am JST in Japan. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.rodgab.com/tour-dates.

Recorded in Japan and self-produced by Sánchez and Quintero at NK Sound Tokyo, OurHome is the culmination of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s decades-long artistic relationship with Japan. After a period of creative frustration and uncertainty, Rodrigo y Gabriela found renewed inspiration in a country they have returned to throughout their two-decade-plus career, rediscovering the expressive acoustic interplay that first defined their sound while forging new creative connections with Japanese musicians and artists.

“We’ve always felt drawn to Japan because of the art and aesthetics and attention to beauty,” says Quintero. “There’s also something about being there that invites you to look inward, to reconnect with who you really are and what gives you meaning.”

In a profound shift from the electric-guitar-heavy sound of 2023’s In Between Thoughts…A New World, OurHome returns to the textural fluidity of acoustic instrumentation, a natural counterpart to the album’s spacious and often strikingly delicate arrangements. Alongside Hiromi, the album features former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, cellist Hiyori Okuda, and Kyoto-based guitarist and composer Yukihiro Atsumi.

Mixed by five-time GRAMMY winner Dave Sardy, whose credits include The Who, Oasis, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and mastered by Stephen Marcussen, whose credits include Nirvana, R.E.M., and The Rolling Stones, OurHome draws from manga, mythology, migration, philosophy, nature, and personal transformation while remaining rooted in the kinetic musical dialogue that has defined Rodrigo y Gabriela’s career.

“Akatsuki” follows the release of the album’s title track, “OurHome,” a sublimely tender composition written by Sánchez following the passing of the duo’s beloved studio cat, Pelusa. Her death came after months of creative stagnation and unexpectedly helped unlock the direction of the album.

“Before her passing, we were searching for ideas in a way that felt very pressured and forced,” says Quintero. “Then the day after she died, Rod wrote a song for Pelusa and suddenly everything started to flow. It was like she was telling us, ‘Stop fucking around and just do what you do best’ – which meant playing from our hearts with no agenda.”

The title OurHome emerged later during a walk through Melbourne following a Japan and Australia tour. As Rodrigo and Gabriela discussed the meaning of belonging, they passed a public housing tower bearing a large sign that read “OUR HOME.” A photograph Sánchez took in that moment ultimately became the album cover.

“Akatsuki” is one of several songs on OurHome inspired by Japanese storytelling. The album’s first single, “Monster,” grew from Rodrigo y Gabriela’s fascination with Naoki Urasawa’s landmark psychological thriller of the same name. The darkly cinematic composition arrived alongside an official video created by Urasawa after he learned the duo had written a song inspired by his work.

One of Japan’s most celebrated manga artists, Urasawa is the acclaimed creator of Monster, 20th Century Boys, Pluto, and Master Keaton, with over 140 million copies of his work sold worldwide.

“Monster is such a deep, philosophical story – it’s about a psychopathic killer, but it’s so uplifting and leaves you with a real sense of hope,” says Quintero. “We’d written that track without knowing that Urasawa was a fan of ours, and now he’s making the video for us.”

Together, “Akatsuki,” “Monster,” and the title track reveal the range of the dreamlike world Rodrigo y Gabriela have created on OurHome: an album populated by rogue monsters, celestial birds, stardust, ancient philosophy, and the idea that peace can be found wherever we learn to reconnect with ourselves.

“Japan is a magical place for us, and every time we go there we love it more,” says Sánchez. “But we also realize the way we feel there isn’t only because of Japan itself – it’s a state of being we could really access anywhere.”

As they prepare to bring OurHome to audiences around the world, Rodrigo y Gabriela hope the album offers listeners a similar sense of grounding amid the chaos of modern life.

“Every day we face so many challenges, whether it’s economic crisis or ecological crisis or political crisis, so we need to protect what makes us feel safe and connected to our true essence,” says Quintero. “We made this album to celebrate what helps us to find that home within ourselves, and we hope it inspires everyone to figure out what home means to them. It’s a very powerful thing, because nobody can ever take it away from you.”

Rodrigo y Gabriela will celebrate the release of OurHome with an extensive North American headline tour beginning September 30th in Dallas. The run includes appearances at Austin City Limits, Washington, D.C.’s The Anthem, New York’s Bowery Ballroom, San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, Seattle’s Moore Theatre, and major dates throughout the U.S. and Canada. The duo will continue the tour across Australia and Japan in January 2027, followed by headline dates throughout Ireland, the U.K., and Europe in the spring.

OurHome arrives September 18 via ATO Records and is available now for pre-order and pre-save. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.rodgab.com/tour-dates.

OurHome Tracklist
1. OurHome
2. Somos Como Tú
3. Akatsuki (feat. Hiromi)
4. Flying Underground
5. Quicksand
6. Monster
7. Astrum In Corpore
8. Is In Your Pocket
9. MADitation
10. Hinomaru Twins
11. Simurgh (feat. Marty Friedman)

Fall 2026 North American Tour Dates
Wednesday, September 30th – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
Thursday, October 1st – Aztec Theatre – San Antonio, TX
Friday, October 2nd – House Of Blues – Houston, TX
Saturday, October 3rd – Austin City Limits (ACL) – Austin, TX
Tuesday, October 6th – Poliforum Siqueiros – Ciudad de México, MEX
Wednesday, October 7th – Poliforum Siqueiros – Ciudad de México, MEX
Friday, October 9th – Emo’s Austin – Austin, TX (Official 2026 ACL Nights)
Saturday, October 10th – Austin City Limits (ACL) – Austin, TX
Tuesday, October 13th – The Eastern – Atlanta, GA
Wednesday, October 14th – Bilheimer Capitol Theatre – Clearwater, FL
Friday, October 16th – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater – Wilmington, NC
Saturday, October 17th – The Underground – Charlotte, NC
Sunday, October 18th – The Caverns – Pelham, TN
Tuesday, October 20th – The Anthem – Washington, DC
Wednesday, October 21st – Count Basie Center for the Arts – Red Bank, NJ
Thursday, October 22nd – Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA
Saturday, October 24th – Lynn Auditorium – Lynn, MA
Sunday, October 25th – College Street Music Hall – New Haven, CT
Monday, October 26th – Academy of Music Theatre – Northampton, MA
Tuesday, October 27th – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Thursday, October 29th – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
Friday, October 30th – Rivers Casino – Des Plaines, IL
Sunday, November 1st – The Sylvee – Madison, WI
Tuesday, November 3rd – The Fitzgerald Theater – St. Paul, MN
Friday, November 6th – Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO
Saturday, November 7th – The Lensic – Santa Fe, NM
Sunday, November 8th – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ
Tuesday, November 10th – Humphreys Concerts by the Bay – San Diego, CA
Wednesday, November 11th – Pappy & Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA
Thursday, November 12th – Libbey Bowl – Ojai, CA
Saturday, November 14th – San Jose Civic – San Jose, CA
Sunday, November 15th – The Castro – San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, November 17th – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
Thursday, November 19th – The Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA
Friday, November 20th – Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC, Canada

Summer 2027 Australia Tour Dates [NEWLY ANNOUNCED]
Wednesday, January 13th – Fortitude Music Hall – Brisbane, AU
Thursday, January 14th – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, AU
Friday, January 15th – Palais Theatre – Melbourne, AU
Sunday, January 17th – Odeon Theatre – Hobart, AU
Tuesday, January 19th – The Gov – Adelaide, AU
Thursday, January 21st – The Regal Theatre – Perth, AU

Winter 2027 Japan Tour Dates [NEWLY ANNOUNCED]
Monday, January 25th – Zepp DiverCity – Tokyo, JP
Tuesday, January 26th – CLUB QUATTRO – Nagoya, JP
Wednesday, January 27th – BIGCAT – Osaka, JP

Spring 2027 European/UK Tour Dates
Monday, March 15th – Vicar Street – Dublin, IE
Tuesday, March 16th – Mandela Hall – Belfast, UK
Wednesday, March 17th – O2 Academy – Glasgow, UK
Friday, March 19th – Albert Hall – Manchester, UK
Saturday, March 20th – Town Hall – Birmingham, UK
Sunday, March 21st – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire – London, UK
Tuesday, March 23rd – Salle Pleyel – Paris, FR
Thursday, March 25th – Aéronef – Lille, FR
Friday, March 26th – 106 – Rouen, FR
Saturday, March 27th – Stereolux – Nantes, FR
Monday, March 29th – MEM2 – Rennes, FR
Wednesday, March 31st – Le Bikini – Toulouse, FR
Thursday, April 1st – Silo – Marseille, FR
Saturday, April 3rd – Paloma – Nimes, FR
Sunday, April 4th – Belle Electrique – Grenoble, FR [SOLD OUT]
Monday, April 5th – Le Radiant – Lyon, FR
Wednesday, April 7th – La Vapeur – Dijon, FR
Thursday, April 8th – L’Autre Canal – Nancy, FR
Friday, April 9th – La Cartonnerie – Reims, FR
Sunday, April 11th – La Laiterie – Strasbourg, FR
Tuesday, April 13th – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, BE
Wednesday, April 14th – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL
Friday, April 16th – Die Kantine – Cologne, DE
Saturday, April 17th – Mojo – Hamburg, DE
Sunday, April 18th – Columbia Theater – Berlin, DE
Tuesday, April 20th – Progresja – Warsaw, PL
Wednesday, April 21st – Zaklęte Rewiry – Wroclaw, PL
Friday, April 23rd – Globe – Vienna, AT
Saturday, April 24th – Palac Akropolis – Prague, CZ
Sunday, April 25th – Technikum – Munich, DE
Tuesday, April 27th – Auditorium Parco della Musica – Rome, IT
Wednesday, April 28th – Circolo Magnolia – Milan, IT
Thursday, April 29th – Docks – Lausanne, CH
Saturday, May 1st – Cheltenham Jazz Fest – Cheltenham, UK
Monday, May 3rd – Cosmopolite – Oslo, NO
Tuesday, May 4th – Pumpehuset – Copenhagen, DK
Wednesday, May 5th – Nalen – Stockholm, SE
Friday, May 7th – La (2) d’Apolo – Barcelona, ES
Saturday, May 8th – Sala Copérnico – Madrid, ES
Tuesday, May 11th – Cineteatro Capitólio – Lisbon, PT
Wednesday, May 12th – Casa da Música – Porto, PT