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.
2023-2024 Index
2025 Index: Dec 29 – Jan 11 // Jan 12 – Jan 18 // Jan 19 – Jan 25 // Jan 26 – Feb 1 // Feb 2 – Feb 8 // Feb 9 – Feb 15 // Feb 16 – Feb 22 // Feb 23 – Mar 1 // Mar 2 – Mar 8 // Mar 9 – Mar 15 // Mar 16 – Mar 22 // Mar 23 – Mar 29 // Mar 30 – Apr 5 // Apr 6 – Apr 12 // Apr 13 – Apr 19 // Apr 20 – Apr 26 // Apr 27 – May 3 // May 4 – May 10 // May 11 – May 16 // May 17 – May 24 // May 25 – May 31 // Jun 1 – Jun 7 // Jun 8 – Jun 14 // Jun 15 – Jun 21 // Jun 22 – Jun 28 // Jun 29 – Jul 5 // Jul 6 – Jul 12 // Jul 13 – Jul 19 // Jul 20 – Jul 26 // Jul 27 – Aug 2 // Aug 3 – Aug 9 // Aug 10 – Aug 16 // Aug 17 – Aug 23 // Aug 24 – Aug 30 // Aug 31 – Sep 6 // Sep 7 – Sep 13 // Sep 14 – Sep 20 // Sep 21 – Sep 27 // Sep 28 – Oct 4 // Oct 5 – Oct 11 // Oct 12 – Oct 18 // Oct 19 – Oct 25 // Oct 26 – Nov 1 // Nov 2 – Nov 8 // Nov 9 – Nov 15 // Nov 16 – Nov 22
THIS WEEK: November 23 – 29
Bestted – CLIPPING!!!
Who doesn’t like a bit of new jack swing? I have no idea who these guys are but the song is fun and the vocals are surprisingly strong. One of the better debuts I’ve heard lately.
Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora (BOKUAO) – Kairo ni tsuki
A sweet, surging sound.
Bullet Train (Chotokkyu) – Real
A bounding electro dance track. I like it!
cosmosy – Physics
Very loungy dance music. Not my thing.
ExWHYZ – Regret (song of the week!)
A big, satisfying EDM track.
Fujii Kaze – Casket Girl
This has a nice groove but I like it less than his previous few singles. I love how he’s continuing to promote this album, though.
INI – U Mine (song of the week!)
This is super pretty. The tone reminds me a bit of TWS’s Last Festival (as filtered through 90s-style production), though the song isn’t as strong. The vocal-led chorus is very striking, though.
Kira (Girls²) – Pretty Boss
Sigh. More sing-talk posturing. How many of these songs do we need?
NiziU – Fairy Magic
As the title suggests, this is ultra-kawaii type idol pop – colorful, frilly dresses and all.
NiziU – Villain
This unit track is of a different genre than their usual material. Not a fan of all the sing-talk, though.
Nogizaka46 – Yumenonioi
They’ve filmed a lot of music videos for this round of promotions! This one’s a solo ballad. It’s pretty boring, sadly.
One N’ Only – Ride
A pleasant tropical sound.
The Super Fruit – Welcome To Our World
It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from these guys. This is fun and jaunty, just as you’d hope.
Takase Toya – Climber (song of the week!)
A nice piano ballad that turns into a thumping anthem. Don’t turn this off before the switch-up.
Tomohisa Yamashita – The Artist
This rock sound fits him surprisingly well.
Yena – Star! (ft. Hatsune Miku)
Fans of her quirkier side will probably love this. It’s a bit too chirpy aegyo for me.