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 Starto 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 // 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
THIS WEEK: July 20 – July 26
Aimer – A World Where The Sun Never Rises
She’s bringing the drama with this one! I appreciate the bombast more than the actual song, but I’ve got to give it to her for sheer ambition.
Ayumu Imazu – Howl
Groovy and stylish, but ultimately pretty forgettable.
Ballistik Boyz – All Of You
A fine mid-tempo track with Afrobeats influence. Pretty tired of this sound, to be honest.
DÉ DÉ MOUSE – When We Love
A catchy (repetitive) dance track.
go!go!vanillas – Dandelion
A decent bit of indie pop.
Hokuto – Tiger Boy
There are so many of these groovy mid-tempos on the market. I don’t see what makes this different from any of the others.
ICEx – Install
This definitely fits within their quirky soundscape. It’s a bit too chirpy for me, though.
KAZ (Generations) – T&W
A decent shot of laid-back R&B, but why is everyone mired in such downbeat tempos?
Klang Ruler – LullaBye
This isn’t quite doing it for me, though I do like this band.
LiSA – Shine In The Cruel Night (song of the week!)
This is very cinematic. The surging chorus is especially effective. Kudos for releasing a 6+ minute epic in this music economy!
Nogizaka46 – Naze Bokutachi wa Hashirunoka?
A pretty forgettable iteration of their signature sound.
SixTONES – Stargaze
I wrote about this last week but now it has a music video.
Tempest – My Way
This is stronger than most of their recent Korean work, honestly. The rock sound fits them well.
TVXQ – Tsuki no Ura de Aimashou
A very jazzy offering from them.