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 // 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
A.B.C-Z – No More Love
I’m amazed how this YouTube video somehow looks 360p even at 1080p, but the song itself is simply not that great. They’re sure released a lot of material lately, though.
Ado – Magic
Another strong Ado single.
BE:FIRST – I Want You Back
Yes, it’s a hip-hop cover/reinterpretation of *that* I Want You Back. It’s not the disaster I feared it could be, but it’s not very necessary either.
B’z – FMP
I really enjoy B’z late-80s to mid-90s material but past that the sound isn’t really for me. They’re a J-pop institution at this point, though. It’s amazing that they’re still at it!
Chansung (2PM) – Amaku Setsunaku Tsuyoku (ft. Jun. K)
Quite dull, unfortunately.
Genic – Blue Sky
I’ve always liked this kind of rock song from them. This isn’t one of their stronger efforts, but the energy is great.
Lucky Kilimanjaro – Flower
This has a nice indie groove.
M!LK – Sukisugite METSU!
This is a real grab bag of sounds, completely shifting genres multiple times. I like some parts more than others, but I’ll give them a hand for their ambition.
Miss Mercy – LaviLavi
This feels like a nice evolution in their sound.
Ryugujo – Sugar (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I liked it a lot.
SI-VIS – So Far Away (song of the week!)
I don’t usually write about this kind of anisong because it’s basically its own sub-genre, but I stumbled upon this one and really enjoy it. It’s so anthemic and upbeat.
Travis Japan – Disco Baby
I like what this is trying to be, but it’s just not there for me. The melodies aren’t strong enough. I wish they’d find a song as fantastic as Candy Kiss again.
V6 – Egaogasuki
Their entire catalog is finally available for streaming!! There’s SO many goodies to be found in their vast 400+ song discography, including some super fun 90s Eurobeat. This is a newly-released track from the vault. It’s quirky, but you’re better off diving into their back catalog.
