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.
2023-2025 Index
2026 Index: Dec 28 – Jan 3 // Jan 4 – Jan 10 // Jan 11 – Jan 17 // Jan 18 – Jan 24 // Jan 25 – Jan 31 // Feb 1 – Feb 7 // Feb 8 – Feb 14 // Feb 15 – Feb 21 // Feb 22 – Feb 28 // Mar 1 – Mar 7 // Mar 8 – Mar 14 // Mar 15 – Mar 21 // Mar 22 – Mar 28 // Mar 29 – Apr 4 // Apr 5 – Apr 11 // Apr 12 – Apr 18 // Apr 19 – Apr 25 // Apr 26 – May 2 // May 3 – May 9 // May 10 – May 16 // May 17 – May 23 // May 24 – May 30 // May 31 – Jun 6
THIS WEEK: June 7 – June 13
BEYOOOOONDS – Hai! Tension
It definitely has energy!
Dragon Pony – Run To Win
They’re making their Japanese debut with this song. It’s nice, but I think their Korean singles have been better.
Fruits Zipper – Power Of Love
As usual, I’m sure this is for someone. It’s not really for me, but it’s catchy.
GAN – Rise Now
Given the drama of this arrangement, I should probably love this song instead of just “like” it, but there are some things holding me back. It’s still pretty good, though.
INI – Sandcastle
As far as I can tell, this English-language release is aimed at global markets, to which I ask: why do companies always assume we like the most boring music imaginable?
IS:SUE – No.4
This is fine. Not bad, not great.
Janet Jackson x BE:FIRST – Doesn’t Really Matter (Remix) (song of the week!)
Did I ever think I’d feature my ultimate idol Janet Jackson on a J-pop round-up? Nope! However, I’m so glad she’s finally attempting to reach out to a younger generation. A remix/feature of Doesn’t Really Matter makes a lot of sense in Japan since it’s always been tied to that region (and was even covered by a J-pop performer!). This re-imagining is actually pretty good, too. I hope it causes BE:FIRST fans to check out the original and the rest of her music as well.
Kento Nakajima – Fiction Love
Love him but don’t love this song.
Konomi Suzuki – Recollect (ft. Ashnikko) (song of the week!)
This is very cool! It reminds me a lot of Reol’s music, actually. I love the symphonic elements.
≠ME – Ai Kudasai Mase
I like the production more than the song or performance, but this is still quite enjoyable.
Orange Range – 1000%
I don’t really care about the World Cup, but I’m loving all these anthemic songs that are soundtracking it.
Ryugujo – HOERO!!! (song of the week!)
I wrote about this last week but now it has a video. It’s nice to see some color in their videos! The song remains good, though not their best. It’s growing on me.
Sakurazaka46 – What’s “KAZOKU”? (song of the week!)
I was wondering if this would get a music video. And what a video! The song is great. I don’t like it quite as much as the past two, but it’s still really fun.
SEVENIC – OH-OH-OH (song of the week!)
I love this kind of upbeat summer pop track. Yes, it’s generic, but it always works.
SUPER★DRAGON – Call Me Asap
I like how they’re leaning into funk music here. However, it could be less generic.
SUPER☆GiRLS – Sunset Kiss
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen one of these “J-pop idols frolicking on the beach in bikinis” music videos. The song’s decent, though.
THREEE – Chewing Gum (ft. KANA-BOON)
A solid, energetic rock track.
Yena – Mirror Mirror
I wrote about this earlier but now it has a video.
Yuko Suzuhana – Kamishiroyasoukyoku
This is the kind of song you can only get in Japan.
Yusei Yagi – Game Changer (song of the week!)
The Fantastics vocalist goes solo with a banger! This pulls together many different sounds for a polished product.
Yuto Adachi – Hate To Love You (ft. Aile The Shota)
I feel like this would be better if it was sped up.
7thVega – One Night Drive
Catchy indie pop/rock.