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 // Aug 11 – Aug 17 // Aug 18 – Aug 24 // Aug 25 – Aug 31
THIS WEEK: September 1 – September 7
Ae! Group – Gotta Be
Unfortunately, this isn’t nearly as compelling as their debut.
All In – MAFiA
The song could use some work, but there’s potential.
ATEEZ x BE:FIRST – Royal
Ugh. I really dislike this genre.
Bump Of Chicken – Strawberry
These kind of songs do very well on Japanese charts. It’s pleasant I guess.
Frederic – Happiness
Groovy and energetic as always, but they’ve released stronger material in the past.
Genie High – No Makeup Star (ft. Shi Yu)
The song doesn’t do much for me, but the looks in the video are A+.
Girls2 – Take It Easy Baby
We need a new revolution in girl group music because I am over these tinny trap beats and truncated, sing-song melodies.
HiiT Factory – Shoujo janai, shoudou janai (song of the week!)
This group’s whole purpose is to recreate 90’s J-pop sounds and I’m all for it. It’s one of my favorite eras ever and this track takes inspiration from acts like early Ayumi Hamasaki, Pamelah and T.M.Revolution. So fun! Did they really have to make the music video 480p, though? They’re really committed to the bit.
Hinatazaka46 – Kimiwooboetenai
The strongest of their recent releases. This pulses with a classic J-pop sentiment that works well for them.
Hiromitsu Kitayama – Just Like That
He literally just released an album and is already back with a digital single. This pales in comparison to Comic’s unbridled energy, but it’s still nice.
INI – First
Interesting chorus, godawful verses.
Mega Shinnokuse – Futari no eiga
A toe-tapping bit of indie pop. Love the vocals.
NAQT VANE – Fallout (song of the week!)
This group never misses. Hiroyuki Sawano’s production is so specific and the new dual-vocalist formation works well.
One N’ Only – Fight Or Die
This is best when it gets big and cinematic. The rest is typical boy group bombast.
ReLit – Pagyo Time
This is so stupid that it’s almost good. Almost.
SUPER★DRAGON – Sweets
Works as the OST it is, but this is pretty dull on its own.
White Scorpion – Ugoku Kuchibiru
This group was formed by Akimoto Yasushi who also created the AKB48 franchise and you can hear the similarities. This is another solid track from them.
Wild Blue – Wild Blue (song of the week!)
I’m excited about this new group. Their fresh, melodic concept is right up my alley and there are some lovely vocals. The song could do more to distinguish itself, but the soaring, anthemic sound is very satisfying.
This week’s old favorite:
BRIDGET – Still I Rise (2013)
BRIDGET were a little-known group from the 2010’s. Their music isn’t easy to track down, but it’s quite good if you like this style of vocal-centric boy group pop (think early Da-iCE).