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 // Feb 18 – Feb 24
THIS WEEK: Feb 25 – Mar 2
ASCA – Vivid World
Nice, anthemic energy.
ATEEZ – Not Okay
I wrote about this here. I didn’t think it was that great.
BE:FIRST – Set Sail
Definitely on the poppier side of their material. I find it funny that a card game of all things gets a tie-up song!
Blue Encount & Takashi Sorimachi – Poison
This is a cover of a 90’s rock song, which is probably why it appeals to me so much.
Exile The Second – We Are The Best
With that title and the group’s history, I was hoping for some big EDM knockout. Instead, this is an oddly theatrical ballad. It’s good for what it is, but I’m kind of confused by their direction.
Fantastics – Updated Life
I adore the drama this song is taken from. The song itself, not so much.
Fantastics x EPEX – Peppermint Yum
This unexpected J-pop/K-pop collaboration finally has a music video. The song has grown on me, but I still wish it was more Fantastics and less EPEX.
Girls2 – Magic
A catchy, K-pop style girl group track.
The Jet Boy Bangerz – Ten
Ugh. Make it stop. I’m so sick of these shouty songs.
NCT Wish – Wish
I wrote about the Korean version of this song here. I thought it was okay.
One N’ Only – Talkin’
Standard boy group fare.
Ryubi Miyase – Ms. Playlist (song of the week!)
I really enjoy Miyase in dramas, so I’ve been curious about his musical career. This is probably his strongest single yet and a nice direction for his sound.
UVERworld – Eye’s Sentry
A solid rock track, if that’s your thing.
This week’s old favorite:
Chisato Moritaka – Stress (1989)
I haven’t yet featured any songs from the 80’s, so why don’t we start out with this addictive classic? It’s one of my favorites.