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 // Apr 14 – Apr 20 // Apr 21 – Apr 27 // Apr 28 – May 4 // May 5 – May 11 // May 12 – May 18 // May 19 – May 25 // May 26 – Jun 1 // Jun 2 – Jun 8
THIS WEEK: June 9 – June 15
Da Pump – Pump It Up (ft. Takuma The Great)
As usual with Da Pump, I like the influences of this song better than the song itself. The hip-hop parts are fun but the group feels more like a comedy act these days.
Enjin – Major
What happened to their fun, poppy sound? This sounds like every ‘J-pop act copying K-pop’ ever.
Frederic – Cyan
I like Frederic’s sound. This isn’t the strongest thing I’ve heard from them, but it fits right within their catalog.
Kid Phenomenon – Show U Light (song of the week!)
Okay, I really like this. It’s probably my favorite track any of these new Junior Exile groups have released so far. Great vocals, great melodies and an overall sense of scope that feels big and affecting. They need to keep doing this.
LIIiEN – Ready?
I don’t know anything about this group, but this is a solid track.
MAZZEL – Counterattack
Meh. I wish J-pop would get over this particular boy group trend asap. It’s like all the bad K-pop songs have been passed on to Japan.
Monkey Majik x Def Tech – O.G. Summer
A fun little throwback sound for your summer playlist. It’s a bit cheesy, but I guess that’s the point.
Mrs. Green Apple – Columbus
I’m happy to hear them go back to a big upbeat sound but this feels like a poor man’s version of Magic and the music video is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. In fact, it was so awful it’s been pulled from YouTube!
The Rampage – 24karats Gold Genesis
Songs within the “24karats” lineage have never been among my favorite Exile songs, but it’s a tradition and The Rampage do a decent job with the big, brassy sound. The chorus could use some work, though.
Travis Japan – Sweetest Tune
This continues the bright pop sound of their past few singles. I don’t enjoy it quite as much, though. The song feels a little flat.
Tsubaki Factory – Seishun Exabyte
Fun, upbeat summery fare.
XY – Get Stupid
This is exactly how I feared a dance unit track from XY might sound. It’s just reheated K-pop tropes with an awful “get stupid!” chorus. I have a pet peeve about songs that tell us to “get stupid.” They’re… well… kind of stupid. This is a big disappointment and it really shouldn’t be.
This week’s old favorite:
Revogene – No Problem (2019)
I stumbled upon this on YouTube when it first came out and spent literal years trying to track it down again. It’s Eurobeat meets cabaret meets all-out-bonkers. It won’t be for everyone, but you definitely won’t forget it!