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.
2023-2025 Index
2026 Index: Dec 28 – Jan 3 // Jan 4 – Jan 10 // Jan 11 – Jan 17 // Jan 18 – Jan 24 // Jan 25 – Jan 31 // Feb 1 – Feb 7 // Feb 8 – Feb 14 // Feb 15 – Feb 21 // Feb 22 – Feb 28 // Mar 1 – Mar 7 // Mar 8 – Mar 14 // Mar 15 – Mar 21 // Mar 22 – Mar 28 // Mar 29 – Apr 4 // Apr 5 – Apr 11 // Apr 12 – Apr 18 // Apr 19 – Apr 25 // Apr 26 – May 2
THIS WEEK: May 3 – May 9
Che’Nelle – Sense of Wonder
A good old fashioned power ballad.
Crystal Kay – Only One (ft. Yoonmirae)
An interesting collaboration, for sure. Song isn’t that interesting, though.
Fantastics – Pump It Up!
The production is way too fussy. Just stick to your groove!
GRIPHAGE – Vida Mia
That’s quite a group name. This debut is a bit rough around the edges.
Hikaru Utada – PAPPAPARADISE
It’s got a laidback groove that will work well for streaming. I crave more ambition, though.
Hinatazaka46 – Kind Of Love
Very sprightly and fun.
IS:SUE – Quartet (song of the week!)
Fun and frothy and filled with nice melodies suited to the spring.
LiSA – Yes
A typical ballad of this style.
METALVERSE – GIZA
This genre of “electronic metal song fronted by a group of idol-like women” is such a Japanese touchstone at this point. This one’s pretty good.
Monday Dirty Jokes – Fanfare
Okay, this wasn’t the sound I was expecting from their group name. This is quite good. An uplifting, melodic pop/rock track.
NAQT VANE – Pi-Po
I wrote about this already but now it has a music video.
Nogizaka46 – Mouhitotsunotaiyo
Dull ballad.
OCTPATH – Stay Honest
Drowsy funk. Doesn’t do much for me.
One Love One Heart – CHOAICHODAI
Ugh. I need them to go back to the music theater rock sound of their debut album.
The Rampage – MAJI-YABAI
Hmm… not my thing at all.
ROIROM – Classic Wave (song of the week!)
Oh, I LOVE this! Sleek and funky and ornamented with orchestral elements that make it feel big and theatrical.
The Super Fruit – Wanna Be
Well… this is certainly a transformation. An unneeded one, imo.
WATWING – Present
A ballad.
&TEAM – Bewitched (song of the week!)
This is SO much better than We On Fire and they really need to give it a proper music video.