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
2024 Index: Dec 24 – Jan 6 // Jan 7 – Jan 13 // Jan 14 – Jan 20 // Jan 21 – Jan 27 // Jan 28 – Feb 3 // Feb 4 – Feb 10
THIS WEEK: Feb 11 – Feb 17
AKB48 – Colorcon Wink
Not bad, but not really a standout either.
Chemistry – Play The Game
This has a nice funk groove.
Da Pump – E-NERGY BOYS
I need these guys to stop being a joke group. This is just obnoxious.
Da-iCE – A2Z
Pretty solid stuff, though I miss the bulletproof melodies of their past.
Daichi Miura – Sukinadaki (song of the week!)
Miura’s new album is a bit hit or miss, but apart from the fantastic Pixelated World this is my easy favorite. That dance groove is lethal. So freaking good.
DISH// – Itsudatte HIGH!
Sprightly, but fairly forgettable.
Enjin – Candy Poppin’
This group thrives on these brighter pop songs. That second verse is dire, but I love the rubbery electro groove that underlines the rest of the track.
Hikaru Utada – A Flower of No Color
This definitely takes awhile to get going. I’m not sure the payoff is worth the build, but I’ve never been a huge fan of their music (I know that’s like sacrilege to say…).
INI – Legit + More
All the posturing in this music video somehow makes Legit more off-putting. If they wanted to go for a song with this energy, the rock-tinged More is much stronger.
JAM Project – Sore wa kegare naki shura namida
I really need to delve more into JAM Project. They’re so extra.
Koda Kumi – Silence
Well, it’s a ballad.
MAZZEL – Waterfall
I’m so sick of this sound. It’s annoying.
Mirae – Running Up
I wrote about this here. I thought it was pretty nondescript.
OHL -「0」 (song of the week!)
Not sure how I feel about the very heavy vocal effects, but I adore the energy of this propulsive electro-dance track.
The Rampage – Can’t Say Goodbye
This song is actually eight years old, but finally gets a music video through a special fan vote. It’s not my favorite b-side, but I like it a lot and it’s got a ton of global appeal.
Sandal Telephone – Allegro (song of the week!)
Sandal Telephone’s new album is out this week and it’s really strong! It includes last year’s awesome Black Diamond and, on first listen, this is my favorite b-side. I love the layered vocals in the chorus.
SKY-HI – Hippie
Stronger than a lot of his more recent stuff, but still nowhere near his peak.
SPYAIR – Orange
This is a big Haikyu!! tie-in, but I think the song is just okay.
SUPER☆DRAGON – New Rise
I guess this is their major label debut? It’s definitely not among their strongest efforts.
Takanori Iwata – Paradise
Very on trend with the Y2K garage-meets-club sound. I like this a lot.
WEi – Fake Love
Quite dull, unfortunately.
Wolf Howl Harmony – Frozen Butterfly (song of the week!)
Everything about this is so turn-of-the-millennium. I love the staccato chorus and strings-assisted verses. This is probably the best track from any of these new Exile Tribe groups so far.
4CARAT – Dancing Dreamer
This is the ending theme for my favorite currently-airing drama and written by one of my favorite composers (Christofer Erixon). I know nothing about the group, but this is a very promising start for them.
≠ME – Last Chance, Last Dance
I like this song, but some of those vocals are a struggle to get through.
This week’s old favorite:
WARPs – Rock Tonight (2019)
I reviewed this and included it in my year-end countdown of 2019, but given that Rock Tonight was kind of a one-off I want to make sure new readers are introduced to one of the best J-pop tracks of the past decade!