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: Feb 1 – Feb 18 // Feb 19 – 25 // Feb 26 – Mar 3 // Mar 4 – Mar 10 // Mar 11 – Mar 18 // Mar 19 – Mar 25 // Mar 26 – Apr 1 // Apr 2 – Apr 8 // Apr 9 – Apr 15 // Apr 16 – Apr 22 // Apr 23 – Apr 29 // Apr 30 – May 6 // May 7 – May 13 // May 14 – May 20 // May 21 – May 27 // May 29 – Jun 3 // Jun 4 – Jun 10 // Jun 11 – Jun 17 // Jun 18 – Jun 24 // Jun 25 – Jul 1 // Jul 2 – Jul 8 // Jul 9 – Jul 15 // Jul 16 – Jul 22 // Jul 23 – Jul 29 // Jul 30 – Aug 5 // Aug 6 – Aug 12 // Aug 13 – Aug 19 // Aug 20 – Aug 26 // Aug 27 – Sep 2 // Sep 3 – Sep 9 // Sep 10 – Sep 16 // Sep 17 – Sep 23 // Sep 24 – Sep 30 // Oct 1 – Oct 7 // Oct 8 – Oct 14 // Oct 15 – Oct 21 // Oct 22 – Oct 28 // Oct 29 – Nov 3 // Nov 4 – Nov 11 // Nov 12 – Nov 18 // Nov 19 – Nov 25
THIS WEEK: Nov 26 – Dec 2
Ai Tomioka – Ai Need Your Love
This has strong 90’s vibes. It’ll get your toes tapping.
Charisma.com – fmfm (ft. Hatsune Matsushima)
I don’t like this as much as their work earlier this year, but it’s still a really engaging mix of EDM and rap.
Daichi Miura – Sheep
I need Daichi Miura to get back to the synth bangers, because I’m not loving the direction his music is heading. Also, I’m convinced songs called “Sheep” are cursed…
FlowBack – Glitch Pop!!
I keep waiting for FlowBack to release something as great as their debut-era music. This is getting closer, but still not quite there…
The Jet Boy Bangerz – Photogenic
It’s mostly obnoxious, to be honest.
Kang Daniel – RE8EL
There were a few Japanese releases from K-pop acts this week but none seemed notable enough to write about. I like this punchy rock sound for Kang Daniel, but the song could be more memorable.
Kid Phenomenon – OMW
It’s just… we can do better than this.
Maria Diesel (Avu-chan) – I’m Still Alive Today
This is the latest track to come out of the drama Paripi Komei and finds Avu-chan in full-on chanteuse mode. Her range and expression are captivating, as usual. It’s a real diva moment!
Nissy x Saweetie – Feels
This is the most unexpected collaboration. I’m not sure it works, but I’m fascinated by the fact it exists.
Nogizaka46 – Itsu no Hi ni ka, Ano Uta wo…
Pretty darn good. They deliver this style of song so well.
≠ME (Not Equal Me) – Anti Confiture (song of the week!)
I haven’t listened to all of ≠ME’s music, but I can safely say this is my favorite song I’ve heard so far. The vocals are a mixed bag, but the girl who takes the first chorus is fantastic. This is my kind of J-pop track, and a song of the week!
n.SSign – New Star
It was only a matter of time until n.SSign branched into the J-pop market. This is standard idol fluff, but they perform it well. It’s a very nostalgic sound.
Produce 101 – The Girls Concept Songs
The original songs were released this week. Here they are, listed from my favorite to least favorite:
The Rampage – Kazuma, Riku & Hokuto solos
I hate to say it, but all three of these songs are kind of boring.
Riku – Doubt It
Sho Hirano’s younger brother debuted this week with a perfectly pleasant pop track. I’m eager to see where he goes from here.
Ryugujo – SHORYU (→↓︎＋P) (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I loved it, and it’s a song of the week!
Travis Japan – Level Up (song of the week!)
This is the lead track from their upcoming album. It’s really silly, but a ton of fun. They should have excised the shouted pre-chorus altogether, but the rugged electro energy of the instrumental is very addicting. I like it a lot, and it’s another song of the week!
&TEAM – Dropkick (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I loved everything but the vocals, and that’s enough to make it my fourth song of the week!
This week’s old favorite:
Iceman – Edge Of The Season (1997)
I’ve featured a few Iceman songs on this blog before, but now that some fans have uploaded all their music videos to YouTube it seems like a good time to add another. That techno-rock, Daisuke Asakura-produced sound is pure heaven.