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
A.B.C-Z – Just Romantic!
The old-school rock beat is fun but overall this feels very inessential.
Ambitious – Love Game
Not at all “ambitious,” but charming enough. I like this tropical house sound.
ExWHYZ – iD
I like the late-90’s sound of this. The song itself doesn’t do much for me, but its texture and vibe are great.
FLOW – White Moon
The chorus of this song has a wonderfully old-school approach that reminds me of T.M.Revolution in places. It’s no wonder I enjoy it.
Hokuto – Mine
He’s a great vocalist but this is an incredibly boring song.
Lil’ League – Manatsu no Hanabi
Songs about summer fireworks are almost always great. This one’s just serviceable, but the vocals are nice.
One Love One Heart – Anone, Zutto Suki Deshita (song of the week!)
A nice, chugging summer track that utilizes all the members well. One of their stronger singles in awhile, which is a pleasant development.
Sakurazaka46 – Minatoku Parsley
This is pretty much Sakurazaka46-by-numbers but it’s still enjoyable. The chugging instrumental is satisfying.
SKY-HI – At The Last
Nope. Not for me. It clearly means a lot to him, though.
SUPER★DRAGON – NPC
A dull mid-tempo.
T.N.T – Starting Over
The whole XY project is basically just “Yuya Tegoshi and Friends” at this point. It’s not what I expected or signed up for at all. This song is fine.
Wolf Howl Harmony – Bossa Bosa
Their talent feels above this chaotic mess. I don’t even know what this is, honestly.
Yousti – Day Dreamer
Catchy and upbeat.
