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
AK-69 – One Life (ft. UVERworld)
Rap and rock will always make a great combination.
Aooo – Geeek
The market is really overstuffed with this indie sound at the moment.
Bullet Train (Chotokkyu) – Nine Lives (song of the week!)
This group reliably releases a huge banger every year or so. This isn’t quite as massive as last year’s Steal A Kiss, but it’s almost there!
Chanyeol (EXO) – Zuruiyo
His songs are always pleasant but rarely gripping. This one’s no different, though it blends in remarkably well with current J-pop trends.
cosmosy – HIGH=LOVE
This is not for me at all. Neither is the other music video they released this week, but this one has a few more interesting points I guess.
DXTEEN – Mutual Crush (song of the week!)
Written by the team behind K-pop group The Wind, this sugary-sweet pop confection is very satisfying (and just a little saccharine).
HIM – Somebody Stop Me (Full Throttle)
It’s so strange to see this 90s dance group make a comeback so many decades later. This doesn’t quite recapture their musical peak, but it’s fun.
JO1 – Handz In My Pocket
Yawn. Same old boring boy group tropes without interesting production.
Kenshi Yonezu & Hikaru Utada – Jane Doe
This sound is way too subdued for me without the killer melodies to make up for it, but wow this is a powerhouse duo.
LE SSERAFIM & Yoasobi – the NOISE
This is a weird one because to me it just sounds like a Christmas/winter remix of Yoasobi’s Into The Night? I don’t think that was probably what they were going for.
MAX – Aldebaran (song of the week!)
Give me ALL the high-octane Eurobeat you can. Never mind that this exact 90s melody has been recycled and cannibalized to infinity over the past few decades. It somehow never gets old and this is a particularly galvanizing version.
Mrs. Green Apple – Good Day
I fear they’re beginning to topple over into self-parody at this point.
One Love One Heart – Shunraifuraito
They’ve had a pretty strong year so far. I’m not as convinced by this track, but it’s nice enough.
One Or Eight – Bet Your Life (song of the week!)
I wrote about this last week and now it has a music video. I still love the stomping beat and the song itself is very fun.
Sakurazaka46 – Alter Ego
Not one of their better tracks, but it’s got good energy.
STARGLOW – Moonchaser (song of the week!)
I wrote about this here. I loved it and it’s grown on me even more since then!
Wednesday Campanella – Wo Ai Ni
This is a lot of fun. Very bouncy!
Wild Blue – Astrist (song of the week!)
I’ve been wondering what these guys have been up to! I’ve liked everything they’ve released so far and this is no different. It’s a big sonic change for them — smooth and atmospheric.
