In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in what’s new in J-pop.
With that in mind, here’s where you come in: I’m one person with one set of musical preferences, so please embed any other new J-pop tracks you’ve enjoyed in the comments so we can get a fuller spectrum each week.
*And just like I do with my reviews, I’ll wait until full versions of songs are available before posting them in this round-up. This will mostly apply to Johnny’s groups, who still limit the majority of their YouTube uploads to shorter, edited versions.
2023 Index
2024 Index: Dec 24 – Jan 6 // Jan 7 – Jan 13 // Jan 14 – Jan 20 // Jan 21 – Jan 27 // Jan 28 – Feb 3 // Feb 4 – Feb 10 // Feb 11 – Feb 17
THIS WEEK: Feb 18 – Feb 24
Ado – Value
The chorus is solid but the rest is a little dull.
Atarashii Gakko! – Hello
Sometimes this group feels a little too jokey/gimmicky for me.
Ballistik Boyz – In My Head
Sigh. It’s been awhile since I’ve enjoyed a Ballistik Boyz song…
Charisma.com – Shut Up
I love when they go more melodic. What a strange music video, though!
Da Pump – Use Your Body
I really like the big, brassy energy. I wish Issa’s voice didn’t annoy me so much, though…
Genic – N_G (song(s) of the week!)
This isn’t a song. It’s eight of them, put into a video medley previewing their new album. Even so, it’s my easy pick of the week because I think this group is incredibly talented and so much fun.
I’ve already pre-ordered all three versions of the album… what did you expect?
Hiromitsu Kitayama – Bet
This is more in line with how I feared his solo music might sound. It’s good, but kind of middle-of-the-road and could be just about anybody.
Hockrockb – Butterfly
I know nothing about this band, but I like the old-school sound and video.
Kazuki Hayashi – Tokyo
Smooth R&B from the Doberman Infinity vocalist.
LisA – Hello World
Straightforward rock. Meh.
Ryokuoushoku Shakai – Party!!
This group is really on a roll. This isn’t one of my favorites from them, but they’re in their imperial phase.
Sakurazaka46 – Nando Love Song no Kashi wo Yomikaeshita Darou
I don’t know… none of the songs on Sakrauzaka46’s new single have hit me. It’s all solid but unspectacular — especially given their track record.
Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku – Twinkle Wink
This is catchy, cutesy girl group pop. Not bad, even if some of the vocals are quite rough.
Super Beaver – Setsubo
I haven’t really gotten the hype around this band. This is one of the most instant songs I’ve heard from them, though.
Takanori Iwata – MVP
He’s been releasing a lot of music lately. This is tied to a Pepsi advertisement, though it doesn’t sound like it. It’s dumb fun.
Vaundy – Time Paradox
I’d file this among Vaundy’s more boring songs.
This week’s old favorite:
Tokyo Performance Doll – Junai Chaos (2016)
Tokyo Performance Doll have a ton of great songs (both in their 90’s iteration and the reboot), but this one bangs especially hard. I love when pop music has life-or-death intensity. Junai Chaos‘s rave-meets-rock sound is *massive*.