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 // Aug 4 – Aug 10
THIS WEEK: August 11 – August 17
BE:FIRST – Blissful
They’ve added a tropical flair to their sound with this new single. I like it more than their past few releases but it’s a little generic.
Charisma.com – Bon Clap (ft. Potemkin)
A fun hip-hop track with a few melodic surprises.
Cho-Galulu – Mechayaba Boom Boom
I don’t know what this is, but I’m totally down for the high energy Eurobeat sound and cheesy “boom booms”.
Hironobu Kageyama – Starrail Disco (song of the week!)
What’s this? The second Eurobeat track in the same week?? I like this one even better. The bombastic production is so fun.
Hitogoto & Kento Nakajima – Hitogoto
I wrote about this a few weeks ago but now we’ve got a music video. It’s a solid, groovy track but I hope his solo music goes bigger and bolder in the future.
Lyrical School – Dance
Any song called “Dance” is bound to get my attention and this one matches its title. I love the chorus.
Nogizaka46 – Nekkyounohakeguchi
Pleasant but not their best.
One Or Eight – Don’t Tell Nobody (song of the week!)
A new boy group aiming for international promotions (think: the male XG). The song is very solid, with the chorus much stronger than the dull verses.
One Pact – Until Now
How is their Japanese track so much better than their Korean title tracks?
Reol – Dear
A strong example of her sound. The chorus goes hard.
Tokyo Gegegay – Itsuka Shinimasu (song of the week!)
He’s back, finally! I think this is more of a side project, but this song would fit well on last year’s stellar album.
Watwing – Emergency
Meh.
This week’s old favorite:
Katsumi – Yes, Dakishimete (1991)
Soloist Katsumi released several albums in the 90’s and still remains active today. His music is an anthemic blend of pop and rock with great melodies. This is one of my favorite singles.