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.
2023-2024 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
THIS WEEK: April 20 – April 26
Ae group! – Destiny
A solid rock track. Melodies could be more memorable, though I have a feeling they’ll benefit from repeated plays.
Akiyama Kiro – Insomnia
This has a punky energy I really enjoy.
Ako – Paper Moon
This is light and pleasant.
Ayumu Imazu – Live It Up! (ft. Furui Riho)
This is pretty cute.
Bullet Train (Chotokkyu) – Metal Nakayoshi
At first, I thought this was gonna be one of their sentimental pop tracks, but then it moves into heavy metal and quirky comedy. There’s a lot going on here. Not all of it works, but this is quite entertaining.
Da-iCE – Black And White
I want to go back to the days where I loved everything Da-iCE put out. This current sound just doesn’t do anything for me.
GLAY – Higan (ft. Kazumasa Oda) (song of the week!)
This is actually gorgeous. That vocal blend!! Wow.
GNJB – Ingaouhou Antinomy
I can’t tell if I love or hate this. I think I like everything except the chorus, which is an issue.
Hey! Say! JUMP – Super Cruisin’
I wrote about this a few weeks ago but now it has a music video. I’m still not sold on the song.
The Jet Boy Bangerz – Masaka Nakutowa Omowanakatta (song of the week!)
This is really nice and elegant. It reminds me of older (early 2010’s) J-pop/K-pop with stately melodies taking the place of gimmicky production.
Keiichiro Koyama – CHOIYAMA
The News member strikes out on his own with this strange little electro jam. I’m not quite sure what I think, but it’s interesting!
Kis-My-Ft2 – Otsukaresama desu! (ft. Sandwich Man) (song of the week!)
I was prepared to hate this because I generally dislike novelty tracks, but it’s actually a lot of fun and insanely catchy. Not as good as Glory Days, but I’m quite happy with this song.
Let Me Know – Svveet Pea
Quite a drowsy sound, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Man With A Mission – Whispers Of The Fake
The band released another music video from their recent EP. This is nice, but definitely not the best song from the project.
≠ME – Cafe Rakuen
Stylish and enjoyable, if not particularly exciting.
Reiko – Take It Back
A bubbly, new jack swing influenced dance track. Of course I’m going to like it!
White Scorpion – Beach Opening
Oh wow, we’re already getting summer songs! This is an interesting, nostalgic sound for them, but I prefer their earlier stuff.
&TEAM – Go In Blind / Run Wild (song of the week!)
I wrote about Go In Blind already but now it has a music video. The song has definitely grown on me. I also wanted to spotlight b-side Run Wild because it feels like a sequel to the funky Big Suki, which is one of my favorite songs from the group. Knowing how they promote, I wouldn’t be surprised if it also got a music video eventually.
This week’s old favorite:
Satori Boys Club – Help You (2017)
This unit eventually disbanded to form other groups (One N’ Only), but this song remains a big, under-known highlight. It’s my kind of surging dance track.