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.
2023-2024 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 // Jul 20 – Jul 26 // Jul 27 – Aug 2 // Aug 3 – Aug 9 // Aug 10 – Aug 16 // Aug 17 – Aug 23 // Aug 24 – Aug 30 // Aug 31 – Sep 6 // Sep 7 – Sep 13 // Sep 14 – Sep 20 // Sep 21 – Sep 27 // Sep 28 – Oct 4 // Oct 5 – Oct 11 // Oct 12 – Oct 18 // Oct 19 – Oct 25 // Oct 26 – Nov 1 // Nov 2 – Nov 8 // Nov 9 – Nov 15
THIS WEEK: November 16 – 22
aoen – MXMM (song of the week!)
I wrote about his here. I liked it a lot!
Ayumu Imazu – Anata To Itai
Too downbeat for me. I prefer his funkier stuff.
Bump Of Chicken -「I」
A toe-tapping blast of sing-along rock from these veterans of the genre.
Charisma.com & DE DE MOUSE – TACOPA
I love both of these artists, but this song is just okay for me.
Hey! Say! JUMP – Melori
The clips for their upcoming album sound promising, but I’m not sure about this one. It’s sprightly but doesn’t do much for me.
ICEx – Da-Da-Da
I wrote about this last month and now it has a music video.
Miliyah – One Last Kiss
Kind of a chill club track? It’s nice!
Nogizaka46 – Jyunsuitowananika
The holiday bells are ringing full force on this one. Otherwise, it’s a pretty typical Nogizaka46 song. Pleasing, if predictable.
Nogizaka46 – Shieidansuhooru
It’s double the Nogizaka46 this week. I like this song much better. The energy is more insistent. With that said, it’s still nowhere near their best material.
OWV x OCTPATH – Two Throne
Each of these groups have a few bangers under their name. Unfortunately, this collaboration is not one of them. Really bad chorus.
Phantom Siita – Bot Bakka (song of the week!)
I’m cheating with this one because I technically missed it last week but think it’s a lot of fun in a silly, quirky way (and I need a “song of the week” this week!).
ROIROM – Dear DIVA
This is a new duo made up of two participants in last year’s “timelesz project.” The song’s not bad!
sokodomo – Wake Up (ft. Twice’s Chaeyoung)
It certainly has a vibe.
Toshinobu Kubota – 1, 2, Play
A decent, subdued groove from this legend of the industry.
Wolf Howl Harmony – Marmalade
A nice mid-tempo. K-pop fans would like this, I think.