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

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THIS WEEK: Mar 3 – Mar 9

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Atarashii Gakko! – Ghostbusters: Frozen Summer

This is just too jokey for me. Sadly, I’m just not into their shtick anymore.

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=LOVE – Darenimo Barezuni

Not sure about the verses, but I like the chorus.

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Genic – N_G (Album) (song of the week!)

Genic’s new album is out and it’s fantastic, as expected! Here are a few of my favorites:

New Game!!
This was co-written by Cristofer Erixon, the guy behind some of my all-time favorite tracks like Kis-My-Ft2’s Gravity and Sexy Zone’s Forever Gold. I love its propulsive energy.

Koiai
The slower songs on this album are really great, too. This is such a vocal and melodic showcase, overflowing with passion. It sounds like a blockbuster single to me.

Chill Out!!
This makes me wish it was the middle of July because it’s such a sing-along-with-the-windows-down summer banger.

Checkmate
I don’t always love this kind of icy deep house sound, but the strings in verse two totally elevate it.

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Girls2 – Magic

A decent pop track that now has a music video.

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Han-Kun – Head Shot (ft. SKY-HI)

I really like the beat and energy.

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Hitsujibungaku – Addiction

Stong 90’s alt-rock vibes from this.

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Imase – Shine Out (song of the week!)

It’s nice to hear something a little more energetic from him. I love the bounding dance sound.

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IMP. – Flow

I’m starting to worry about the quality of songs TOBE is releasing. IMP.’s last song was awful and this might be even worse. Its posturing is almost comical. They started out so strong with Cruisin’!

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Kid Phenomenon – Ace In The Hole

Nothing extraordinary, but I think this rock-tinged sound suits them.

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Koda Kumi – Dangerously

Much better than most of the songs she’s been releasing lately.

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LANA – Almost 20

Addictive synth pop with a captivating vocal. I like this a lot.

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MAZZEL – Parade

Maybe SKY-HI’s boy groups just aren’t for me. This is another track I find more obnoxious than exciting.

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Sekai No Owari – Time Machine

They pull off these soft, wistful tracks so well. Lovely melodies.

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Sexy Zone – Puzzle

This is their final single as “Sexy Zone” and with member Kento Nakajima. It’s a shame it’s also one of their most boring.

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SUPER★DRAGON – New Rise

Still not a fan of this song, but it now has a music video.

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Takanori Iwata – Virus

He’s releasing videos for every song, isn’t he? This is my favorite from the week.

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White Scorpion – Zattou no Kodoku (song of the week!)

White Scorpion continue to be one of the most promising new girl groups of the year. This might just be their best single yet. I love its driving energy and pounding chorus.

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ZEROBASEONE – Yura Yura

I wrote about this here. I was a bit disappointed.

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This week’s old favorite:

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Kanako Hoshino – Gekkou (2006)

Take a breathless trance/techno beat, lace it with tons of electric guitar, and you’ve got me hook, line and sinker. Thankfully, Kanako Hoshino’s discography is stuffed with such music. This is one of her best.