Rodrigo y Gabriela Reveal Their “Monster” Music Video

There is a fitting sense of return built into Rodrigo y Gabriela’s new album announcement. OurHome, due September 18 via ATO Records, was recorded in Japan after a period of creative uncertainty, and its first single, “Monster,” connects the duo directly with Naoki Urasawa, one of the country’s most important manga artists. The story surrounding the release is rich, but the central idea is simple: the band found movement again by following what felt honest.

The headline moment is the “Monster” video. Urasawa, the creator of Monster, 20th Century Boys, Pluto, and Master Keaton, made the visuals for Rodrigo y Gabriela’s new single after learning that the song had been inspired by his own work. For a duo whose music often crosses borders without needing lyrics, the collaboration feels unusually precise.

Urasawa’s reach is enormous. His work has sold over 140 million copies worldwide, and Monster remains one of the defining psychological thrillers in manga. That history gives Rodrigo y Gabriela’s “Monster” a particular weight. The song is not a casual nod from musicians looking for visual edge. It grew out of Gabriela Quintero’s personal response to the manga’s strange mix of darkness and hope.

The mutual admiration behind the project adds another layer. Urasawa had already discovered Rodrigo y Gabriela through their live performances and had started collecting their records. Once he found out they had written “Monster” with his story in mind, he reached out through the band’s Japanese promoter. From there, the relationship moved from influence to collaboration.

Musically, “Monster” makes sense as the album’s first statement. It is tense, cinematic, and inward-looking, with the duo’s acoustic interplay carrying the narrative force. Rodrigo’s lines cut through the piece with urgency, while Gabriela’s rhythmic presence gives it a grounded physicality. The song feels shaped by conflict, though it never tips into melodrama.

OurHome was recorded at NK Sound Tokyo and self-produced by Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero. The setting matters. Japan has long held meaning for the duo, and Quintero has described it as a place connected to beauty, attention, and self-reflection. After a stretch of feeling creatively stuck, that atmosphere helped them find a path back into the music.

The album’s emotional turning point came from a loss closer to home. After the death of Pelusa, their beloved studio cat, Sánchez wrote a song for her, and the writing process began to open up. Quintero has described that moment as a reminder to stop forcing ideas and return to the heart of what they do: play with feeling, without over-planning the outcome.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela ‘OurHome’ album artwork

That sense of renewal sits alongside a strong list of collaborators. OurHome features former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman on “Simurgh,” Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi on “Akatsuki,” plus cellist Hiyori Okuda and guitarist-composer Yukihiro Atsumi. Dave Sardy mixed the album, and Stephen Marcussen handled mastering, giving the record a team with a wide range of rock, jazz, and studio history behind it.

The title OurHome came from a sign the duo encountered in Melbourne after touring Japan and Australia. During a walk, they passed a public housing tower marked with the words “OUR HOME,” and Sánchez’s photograph of that building became the album cover. Quintero has tied the phrase to an idea of peace within oneself, especially in a world full of instability and pressure.

Rodrigo y Gabriela will support the album with a major tour. The North American run includes Austin City Limits, Mexico City, The Anthem, Bowery Ballroom, The Caverns, The Castro Theatre, The Moore Theatre, and dates throughout the U.S. and Canada. In spring 2027, they continue through Ireland, the U.K., France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Spain, and Portugal.

The scale of the tour reflects the band’s unusual position. Two decades into a career built around acoustic guitar, Rodrigo y Gabriela remain able to move between festival fields, theatres, manga culture, metal-adjacent collaborators, jazz virtuosos, and intimate conceptual themes without sounding like they are chasing a trend. “Monster” works because it comes from a real point of connection, and OurHome now looks like an album built from that same instinct.