Hitsujibungaku are officially releasing their fifth studio album, entitled Don’t Laugh It Off, this year. Announcing the news on July 25, 2025 (Friday), the Japanese alternative rock band first teased the new record on June 18, 2025, revealing that it is set come out on October 8, 2025 (Wednesday).
Don’t Laugh It Off serves as the follow-up to Hitsujibungaku’s widely acclaimed fourth album 12 hugs (like butterflies), which contains their international breakthrough song “more than words” — the second ending theme song of the second season of the hit animé series Jujutsu Kaisen.
Don’t Laugh It Off was preceded by a string of singles from the band throughout the first half of 2025, with the latest being “Feel / mild days.” The two songs serve as the opening and closing theme songs of the fantasy animé Secrets of the Silent Witch.
In other news, Hitsujibungaku won the awards in the Best Japanese Alternative Song and the Best Japanese Alternative Artist categories of the first-ever MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, held last May 2025. During one of their acceptance speeches, bassist Yurika Kasai and vocalist and guitarist Moeka Shiotsuka talked about their recent overseas tour, which notably included a stop in Manila last July 2024.
“In the Philippines, we experienced massive sing-alongs that you don’t typically see with Japanese audiences, which really surprised us,” stated Kasai when asked by the ceremony hosts what stood out for them the most during this tour. “Even though they don’t know Japanese, it’s touching that they still sing along.”
While waiting for the release of Don’t Laugh It Off, listen to Hitsujibungaku’s previous album 12 hugs (like butterflies) below: