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.

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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 // Feb 11 – Feb 17 // Feb 18 – Feb 24 // Feb 25 – Mar 2 // Mar 3 – Mar 9 // Mar 10 – Mar 16 // Mar 17 – Mar 23 // Mar 24 – Mar 30 // Mar 31 – Apr 6 // Apr 7 – Apr 13 // Apr 14 – Apr 20 // Apr 21 – Apr 27 // Apr 28 – May 4 // May 5 – May 11 // May 12 – May 18

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THIS WEEK: May 19 – May 25

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Aimyon – Wish I Could See You, But

Not my thing, but a lot of people love this.

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Ayumi Hamasaki – Aurora

She sounds great. I wish the song was more interesting.

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BABYMETAL x Electric Callboy – RATATATA (song of the week!)

Why does this sound like something Finland would send to Eurovision? It’s got a bit too much death metal shouting in it, but overall this collaboration is a ton of fun and a total burst of energy.

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Ballistik Boyz – Higher Ex

Just awful. I wish J-pop would move on from this sound asap but it just keeps coming.

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.BPM – Boom Boom Bee

I don’t know this group, but the song is kind of charming and I like how much gusto they’re singing with.

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BURNOUT SYNDROMES x Nao Toyama – Maoh

A very dramatic sound with unique vocals.

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Doberman Infinity – Last Forever

Shrug.

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King & Prince – Halfmoon / moooove!!

Halfmoon is typical J-drama slop. Moooove is better, and the drama it’s attached to is pretty good, too. I like its 90’s hip-hop sound but it needs a stronger hook.

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Koto – Otoko No Kochan

This is such a weird little 80’s pastiche. I’m sure someone will love it. Maybe that someone is you!

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Mrs. Green Apple – Dear

I’m wondering if last year’s Magic might have been a fluke because none of their material since has hit me in the same way. I like the drama and driving percussion of this, but the melodies aren’t really connecting with me.

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NCT 127 – Colors

Very dull.

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NMB48 – Is This Love?

Nothing too different from their usual stuff…

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Novelbright – Empire (ft. Novel Core) (song of the week!)

I really like this. It’s a great blend of rock and rap with a ton of energy.

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OWV – Love Banditz

Fun music video for a song I already enjoyed last week.

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Perfume – The Light

New Perfume is always welcome. This is a bit subdued but quite nice.

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PKCZ® – Put Your Hearts Up, Everybody Jump Up

Cheesy club music with a strong 90’s Eurodance sound.

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Ryokuoushoku Shakai – Yasai Ondo

I’m always impressed with this band’s versatility. This isn’t my favorite song from them, but it sure is different.

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Timelesz – Anthem

Sexy Zone had to die for this? Seriously, this is awful and so jarring after last year’s incredible Chapter II album. I don’t know what’s going on with Starto Entertainment this year but after being a huge fan over the past decade I feel like I’m losing interest in almost all their acts. (Also, I hate the name “Timelesz.” It’s so boring.)

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XG – Woke Up

I wrote about this here. I didn’t care for it.

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7ORDER – But

Not bad, but not close to their best work from last year.

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This week’s old favorite:

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King & Prince – Mazy Night (2020)

A large chunk of King & Prince’s discography was made available on streaming platforms this week, but not one of my favorite b-sides are among the selections. So instead, I’ll feature the full version of a great single I wrote about back in 2020.