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 // Sep 1 – Sep 7 // Sep 8 – Sep 14 // Sep 15 – Sep 21 // Sep 22 – Sep 28 // Sep 29 – Oct 5 // Oct 6 – Oct 12
THIS WEEK: October 13 – October 19
(Alexandros) – Boy Fearless
I wrote about this last month and really liked it. Now it has a music video.
Ado – Shoka
It’s very in line with other Ado recordings. Not her best, though.
Boku Ga Mitakatta Aozora – Sukisugite Up and down
A pretty good example of this upbeat girl group sound. The video’s a lot of fun.
Creepy Nuts – Otonoke
I wrote about this before but now it has a music video.
DÉ DÉ MOUSE × WaMi – (Never Gonna) Give Me Up
What a thrilling burst of dance floor energy!
Devil ANTHEM. – Yoake no Kiseki
This is a lot more upbeat and sprightly than their group name suggests! I really like their voices and the general vibe of this.
f5ve – UFO
I haven’t fallen for this group the way others have and this track is unlikely to change that. I admire the quirkiness, but the song doesn’t quite click for me.
Giga, Teddyloid & Sakurazaka46 – Pikkaan (ft Rina Matsuda & Hikaru Morita) (song of the week!)
This is a bonkers collaboration that works quite well. It’s just colorful madness.
go!go!vanillas – Persona
I really like the old-school indie sound of this. It’s 90’s-adjacent, but not in the same way everyone else is doing right now.
I Don’t Like Mondays. – Shadow
I prefer their more upbeat material.
INI – WMDA (Where My Drums At)
Unfortunately, INI are back to making crappy music. It was nice while it lasted!
Kid Phenomenon – Unstoppable
I wrote about this before, but now it has a music video.
L’Arc-en-Ciel – You Gotta Run
New L’Arc-en-Ciel!
LiSA – Queen
This blend of hard-hitting rock and EDM elements is very satisfying.
Millennium Parade – KIZAO (ft. Rauw Alejandro & Tainy) (song of the week!)
This is a very cool collaboration. It’s a great blend of cultures with an amazing groove. I’m not sure we can even call it J-pop at this point, but I love it.
Nissy – Liar (song of the week!)
I haven’t had a chance to listen to Nissy’s new album yet (I didn’t even know it was coming out!), but I’m always happy to hear him embrace EDM again. I see myself getting a lot of use out of this track.
ØMI – Feel Gold (ft. Tomohisa Yamashita) (song of the week!)
This is much stronger than I expected. I love the synth-powered groove. It’s got a great, funky crunch to it.
Perfume – Cosmic Treat (song of the week!)
I’m obsessed with this album, song and music video. This new era of Perfume has really hooked me.
Reol – Re Rescue
Super solid as always.
Sakurazaka46 – Honshitutekinakoto
I don’t immediately like this as much as the other released songs from this single, but that’s a high bar to pass!
Snow Man – One
This is their first song available for worldwide streaming! Unfortunately, it’s a rather safe, forgettable ballad.
Stereo Dive Foundation, Takuma Terashima & MindaRyn – Trinity
I probably would have preferred a solo Stereo Dive Foundation version, but this is still good.
Yurina Hirate – Bleeding Love
I feel like this is so close to being great, but it feels… neutered, somehow? We know what she’s capable of and this song needs to push just a bit farther. It’s still okay, though.
&TEAM – Feel The Pulse
The guys move back to rock music with this one. I’ve never found it the best genre for their voices, but this is solid.
This week’s old favorite:
WANDS – Sekai Ga Owaru Made Wa (1995)
One of the greatest rock ballads (and anime themes) of the 90’s. Utterly iconic song.