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.

2023 Index: Feb 1 – Feb 18 // Feb 19 – 25 // Feb 26 – Mar 3 // Mar 4 – Mar 10 // Mar 11 – Mar 18 // Mar 19 – Mar 25 // Mar 26 – Apr 1 // Apr 2 – Apr 8 // Apr 9 – Apr 15 // Apr 16 – Apr 22 // Apr 23 – Apr 29 // Apr 30 – May 6 // May 7 – May 13 // May 14 – May 20 // May 21 – May 27 // May 29 – Jun 3 // Jun 4 – Jun 10 // Jun 11 – Jun 17

THIS WEEK: June 18 – June 24

Ano – Smile Agenai

This is cute and quirky and all sorts of strange.

Da-iCE – Highball Boogie

I’m glad to get more Da-iCE music videos, but I wish I enjoyed their new album. This song would be great if it wasn’t for its unnecessary tempo changes.

Doberman Infinity – Where We Go

This has a throwback r&b appeal, which is exactly what I’d expect from Doberman Infinity. It’s a nice, chill track for the summer.

=LOVE – Natsumatope

I can’t get over the music video’s airplanes adorned with floaties and shopping bags.

Kankaku Piero – Break Together

The market for rock groups crafting anime themes is seemingly unlimited. When it comes to this sub-genre, Break Together is middle-of-the-pack but still enjoyable.

King & Prince – Nanimono

I’m happy to see Ren and Kaito continue on as a duo, but this is not the sound I want from them. It’s so toothless and dull. I wish they’d lean into the edgier sounds the group was pursuing before their line-up change.

Luz x Fake Type – Ruthless

I feel like there are a lot of J-pop tracks that adopt this electro-swing rock sound, and most pull it off pretty well. This is no exception.

Lyrical School – Drive Me Crazy (b-side of the week!)

Well, it’s a propulsive synthwave track, so you know I’m going to enjoy it! This is my b-side of the week by default (it’s been a veeeery slow week).

NOA – Burn

I’m surprised this wasn’t part of his recently-released album. It would have fit perfectly within the tracklist.

Noisemaker – Last Forever (single of the week!)

I really love Noisemaker’s blend of rock and electronic elements. The verses here are so enjoyable, and the propulsive energy is great.

Rainy。- …and Rescue Me

Pleasant, uplifting pop.

(sic)boy – Falling Down

The pop punk vibes are strong with this one.

SKE48 Team E – Koe Dashite Ikoze!!!

A jolt of goofy cheer in case you need one this weekend.

TVXQ – Lime & Lemon

I wrote about this here. I liked it!

This week’s old favorite:

Kotani Kinya – Time In My Heart (1999)

A little-known Daisuke Asakara-produced gem that deserves more attention. I love these kind of anthemic ‘give it all you’ve got’ melodies. Music this good is worth the hunt and trouble of importing second-hand Japanese cds from the 90’s!