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 // Feb 25 – Mar 2 // Mar 3 – Mar 9 // Mar 10 – Mar 16 // Mar 17 – Mar 23 // Mar 24 – Mar 30 // Mar 31 – Apr 6 // Apr 7 – Apr 13
THIS WEEK: Apr 14 – Apr 20
Ae! group – 《A》BEGINNING (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I thought it was a strong start for the group.
Ako – Lazy
From its title, I was expecting something more downbeat. This is quite sprightly.
Bullet Train – Steal A Kiss (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I loved it!
Burnout Syndromes x Nao Toyama – Maou
A dramatic anime sound.
Da-iCE – I Wonder
They’ve really settled into a specific sound lately. I still prefer their older stuff, though.
Fantastics – Sugar Blood Kiss
I’m into the New Jack Swing influences but overall the song is a bit forgettable. It’s good, but not close to their best.
Hinatazaka46 – Sabitsukanaiken wo mote!
This is pretty good but could use more punch.
imase – Lit
He’s been releasing a ton of music videos lately. This is easily one of the better songs. I like the guitar.
JO1 – Test Drive
I already shared my thoughts about this last week (it’s okay…), but now it has a fancy performance video.
Juice=Juice – Tokyo Blur
I love the energy and soundscape on this. It has such a satisfying fullness.
Lil League – Heavy Gamer
The 80’s synths instantly make this one of their better songs. Yep, I’m biased toward that sound.
MA55IVE The Rampage – Wild Boy
This is already one of my favorite songs from this sub-unit. The rock influences help.
Momoiro Clover Z – Heroes
Not for me, but I appreciate its uniqueness.
Nissy x SKY-HI – Stormy
This is definitely an improvement on their last track, but still feels like about 70% of what it could be.
Psychic Fever – BEE-PO
They keep blitzing the market with singles. This one’s decent but not really for me.
Queen Bee – Super Memorial (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I loved it!
Shiina Ringo – As A Human
Definitely not the kind of thing I would normally listen to, but this is quite gorgeous and the video is captivating.
Wednesday Campanella – The Big Four
Some interesting production choices here.
5yncri5e! – Jellyfish
Like the song, not so much the vocals.
This week’s old favorite:
Predianna – Stand Up (2017)
Funny fact: I first stumbled upon this group when I was searching for Predia (one of my favorite J-pop girl groups). Turns out the two share a similar sound as well as their name, though Predianna have released far less music.