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
BUDDiiS – Blue Soda
A pleasant, mid-tempo summer bop.
DEZERT – Mayoi no Melody
This style of surging, atmospheric rock is right up my alley. It’s got a great mood.
ENHYPEN – Shine On Me
I wrote about this here. I thought it was okay.
ExWHYZ – Imagine
I like the electronic sound of this, but the heavily-processed vocals put me off.
FictionJunction – Black Rose (ft. Emiko) (song of the week!)
This has such a cool blend of influences, from traditional Japanese sounds to Celtic flourishes, all tied to a very energetic tempo.
Fujii Kaze – Love Like This
Those who prefer something more downtempo from him will probably enjoy this more than his last single.
ISSEI – Silent Midnight
This is pretty forgettable. The incessant vocal effects are actually the most interesting part of it.
ME:I – THIS IS ME:I
I really tried to like this but there are too many elements working against it. The “This is me! This is I!” hook is especially grating.
MEOVV – Me Me Me
Basically the same beat everyone is using, but this is fine.
Nogizaka46 – tekasa
I’m not sure “Nogizaka46 + rap” is something I’d ever be interested in, but this is a weird little experiment.
Novel Core – HANERO!!!
Lots of energy in this one. I could see it being fun at concerts.
ØMI – To Be (ft. Daichi Miura)
This is quite a powerhouse duo. It’s a shame the song is so dull.
Riho Sayashi – Super Red
This feels like a real throwback to mid-00s dance pop. It’s got a great beat.
Ryugujo – OSHIBAI (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I loved it!
Snow Man – Jack In The Box
I really like this for about thirty seconds and then it gets very repetitive — and this YouTube edit isn’t even the full song!
Takanori Nishikawa (T.M.Revolution) – Hibike Kassai (song of the week!)
I love the addition of brass in this. It’s a new sound for him that works really well. This is an exciting track!
Twice – Enemy
I wrote about this here. I thought it was okay.
