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 // Jun 9 – Jun 15 // Jun 16 – Jun 22 // Jun 23 – Jun 29 // Jun 30 – Jul 6
THIS WEEK: July 6 – July 13
Cyberjapan Dancers – Bounce
Okay, the t&a is reductive, but the song itself is actually decent.
Da-iCE – Story
I need Da-iCE to make fun, funky tracks again. This just sounds like a basic rock band.
f5ve – Underground
This is fun and quirky. A bit gimmicky for me, though.
Giga & TeddyLoid – Ultra C
I’m always interested in TeddyLoid’s production. The instrumental slays. The vocals are much more polarizing.
Kana Nishino – Eyes On You
A very timeless J-pop sound.
Lienel – Curry On Love
Who made them record this? I’m embarrassed.
Morning Musume ’24 – Sai Kiyou
I like the mix of new jack swing and modern production. The song’s a bit unfocused, though.
NiziU – Rise Up
I wrote about this here. I liked it.
ONE OK ROCK – Delusion:All
Sounds like mid-2000’s rock. The chorus is pretty good but the song’s a bit gloomy for me.
Penguin Research – Fire And Fear
I love their singer’s powerful voice. The song doesn’t match their best, though.
Psychic Fever vs. Wolf Howl Harmony – Yin Yang (song of the week!)
LDH’s latest Battle Of Tokyo series kicks off with this collaboration. In the best way, it’s not at all what I expected. Great melodies, sleek production and a dynamic arrangement. I’m impressed!
RED-i – Red Impact
For those who like their girl groups with a rock edge.
RIIZE – Same Key
This is both RIIZE’s first OST and first original Japanese release. It’s fine and functional for what it is. It’s nice to hear their voices.
Sandaime J Soul Brothers – Blaze
This song now has a music video. I’m still not feeling it, unfortunately.
Twice – Dive
I wrote about this here. I thought it was dull.
This week’s old favorite:
DASEIN – Sakura Fubuki (2001)
DASEIN were a little-known electronic rock duo in the theatrical mold of acts like T.M.Revolution. They’re quite fun, with some very campy music videos. This is one of my favorites. That outfit!