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 // Jul 7 – Jul 13 // Jul 14 – Jul 20 // Jul 21 – Jul 27
THIS WEEK: July 28 – August 3
Ayumu Imazu – Superstar
Groovy and laidback with a nice pre-chorus.
Ballistik Boyz – Good Day Good Night
A pleasant – but inessential – ballad.
Batten Girls – Trijin
This sprightly, upbeat energy is quite fun. I especially like the chorus.
BiTE A SHOCK – Locus
This group has gone down a much softer musical route than I would have expected.
Bump Of Chicken – Strawberry
Japan loves this kind of soft, pensive rock track.
DASEIN – Kagerotatsu Yuyaminimoya
I just featured DASEIN as an old J-pop favorite but didn’t realize they’re still making music. This is quite good!
ExWHYZ – Night Coaster
This is my favorite kind of ExWHYZ song.
flumpool – Summer Lion
There’s a nice anthemic heft to this.
Galileo Galilei – SPIN!
Super upbeat indie pop/rock with a great beat and euphoric chorus.
Genic – LiFE!!
Every favorite group seems to have one single I can’t get into. I’m a massive Genic fan but this is not doing it for me. I wish Avex would just let them write their own music more regularly instead of giving them cheesy stuff like this.
Hiraidai – Summer Dreamin’
I’ll always love a sunny, upbeat summer song. The chorus has great punch.
Koda Kumi & Tetsuya Komuro – Jump To The Breeze
I can spot a Komuro melody a mile away and this feels very classic in a satisfying – if familiar – way.
Lead – Gravity (song of the week!)
This group has been releasing some great music over the past few years. Gravity can definitely be added to that list.
Lil League – Youth Spark
Not sure about the brass, but otherwise this is quite exuberant.
m-flo loves Maya – HyperNova
It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from m-flo! This song doesn’t do much for me, but I’m happy to have them back.
Maki Goto – Clap Clap (song of the week!)
She’s back! It’s been a long time, and Clap Clap doesn’t disappoint. This is a very catchy, fun track.
MA55IVE THE RAMPAGE – Planetarium
Not a fan of this sound.
ME:I – Hi-Five
I heard this a few times at KCON before it was released. It’s okay, but its repetitive hook borders on annoying.
Nogizaka46 – Anohikari
Very pretty.
Ocha Norma – Chihayaburu
I like the powerful vocals. The song is just okay.
OWV – Sleepless Town
This group has been on a roll lately but I’m not feeling this song.
Philosophy no Dance – Liar Girl
Reliably funky and upbeat, this is a solid offering from the girls.
The Rampage vs. The Jet Boy Bangerz – Goodest Baddest
This year’s Battle of Tokyo has been a mixed bag and this collaboration is not one of my favorites. Too little melody and some frustrating production choices.
RIIZE – Lucky (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I liked it a lot!
Super Eight – Kakatteko-ze
Super Eight (formerly Kanjani8) are now on streaming and this is a decent introduction to their charm.
Taiyu Fujiwara – Cool
There are so many of these subdued, groovy summer tracks. This one doesn’t really stand out.
TRENDZ – Rebirth
I’m surprised how many J-pop singles these guys are releasing. This is not the sound I prefer for them. It could be performed by anyone.
WATWING – Let Me Kiss U
Funky, but extremely generic.
This week’s old favorite:
SHINee – Password (2013)
SHINee have so many excellent J-pop tracks, but I wanted to spotlight a non-single. Password is incredible pop music with an unexpected psychedelic twist.