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 // Jul 28 – Aug 3
THIS WEEK: August 4 – August 10
Aile The Shota – Odorimasen ka
Decent and groovy.
Bullet Train (Chotokkyu) – Memorial x Hashire!!!!Chotokkyu (Mashup)
This is a mash-up of a song from their newest album and a single from a few years back. The two work pretty well together, actually.
Chanmina – NG
Not my thing but I’m sure others will enjoy.
Daichi Miura – Shinpakuon (song of the week!)
This very solid song now has a music video.
Dannie May – Dancing Mania
I don’t know anything about this guy (band?) but I love the energy of this. Really fun!
go!go!vanillas – Lai Lai Lai
Solid rock track.
IVE – Crush
I wrote about this here. I liked it, though it’s starting to fade a bit with time.
Kenshi Yonezu – Red Out
Pretty good. I like the pre-choruses.
Legit – Move Move Move
Turning a “fake” anime group into real people turns out to be a pretty cool idea. This is a lot of fun.
MA55IVE THE RAMPAGE – X Mind
Posted in case anyone’s a fan, but this definitely isn’t for me.
Miyavi – Running In My Head (song of the week!)
It took three months, but this great song now has a music video!
Mrs. Green Apple – Familie
I’m beginning to think 2023’s Magic was a bit of a fluke for me because I haven’t loved anything they’ve released this year.
Nissy – Soushiyouka
This is a return to a funky sound I really enjoy from Nissy. Not his best, but very solid.
Nogizaka46 – Cheatday
This was released a few weeks ago but now has a music video.
One Love One Heart – Bokura No Road Movie
I’m so happy to hear every member singing in this. I wish the song wasn’t so boring, though. I need them to get back to the epic stuff they were delivering in 2022 and 2023.
Phantom Siita – Just Wanna xxxx With You
I had no idea Ado was producing a girl group. This has a very interesting instrumental.
Sandal Telephone – Allegro (song of the week!)
This song was on their album released earlier this year but now has a video. They’re an underrated group and this is very solid.
Spancall Good Timez – Universe
I don’t even know how to begin to understand this group name, but the song is funky and silly.
The Super Fruit – Dopamine-mine Adrenaline-line
I really enjoyed their debut album (“I My Me Meow” for the win!) but this is a bit too cutesy-quirky for me.
Tsubaki Factory – Kodou OK?
This has a very classic J-pop sound that I enjoy. It’s a great match for summer.
WayV – Go Higher
I don’t know if WayV’s J-pop debut will get a music video or if this is even the title track, but nothing on the mini album really stood out to me.
WEST. – Maa Ikka
My least favorite kind of WEST song, tbh.
xikers – Tsuki (Lunatic)
I wrote about this here. I thought it was okay.
&TEAM – Aoarashi (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I liked it a lot!
This week’s old favorite:
Keyakizaka46 – Fukyouwaon (2017)
It’s about time to feature a Keyakizaka46 song, right? Most J-pop fans have probably already heard this modern classic, but in case you haven’t I’m happy to be your gateway into the awesomeness that is Fukyouwaon.