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

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THIS WEEK: Apr 7 – Apr 13

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Aile The Shota – Villains (ft. edhiii boi & Novel Core)

I’m not sure what I think of this as a whole, but I love the tempo and the overall vibe.

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ALI – Professionalism (ft. Hannya)

Here’s another one where the style is more exciting than the song itself. I love the full band sound of it, though.

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Ayumi Hamasaki – Bye-Bye

It’s nice to hear her back in this mid-2000’s r&b/dance sound. This is quite good, actually.

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IVE – Will

IVE score an anime theme! The song’s not really for me, but I’m happy for them.

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JO1 – Test Drive

This is their new single and will have an mv before too long. I like the funky sound for them, but it’s a bit cookie cutter in sound.

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Kenshi Yonezu – Sayonara, Mata Itsuka!

I don’t usually go for these kind of vibey mid-tempos and likely won’t play this often, but for what it is I think the melodies and performance are strong.

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Kis-My-Ft2 – Loved One

I wrote about this here. I like it, but wanted so badly to love it.

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LiSA – Shouted Serenade

It’s exactly what I’d expect from a LiSA single, for better or worse.

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Madkid – Futatsu No Kotoba

Very sugary and upbeat from them. It’s okay.

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Mrs. Green Apple – Lilac

I’m happy to hear another upbeat track from them. Sonically, this feels more like their debut era but I’m still begging for another Magic.

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Nana Mizuki – Adrenalized

Pummeling rock intensity.

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Nogizaka46 – Natsuzakura

Sadly, I’m not feeling any of the promoted songs from their new EP.

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Number_i – Blow Your Cover

Nothing about any post-King & Prince activities has convinced me the group’s demise was worth it. I know this kind of stuff is popular, but I find it incredibly dull.

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One N’ Only – Domino

This group cycles through a lot of different sounds. I’m not sure about this one.

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Otoha – The Parade Of Battlers

I’m really intrigued by this one. I love their voice and the fact that the music is a little unclassifiable.

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Queen Bee – Super Memorial (song of the week!)

Finally something great! Avu-chan’s pen just doesn’t miss, and this is another certified banger from her band Queen Bee. I love the energy. It’s perfect for an anniversary track.

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Shota Aoi – Evolve

Standard J-rock. It’s decent.

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STARTO For You – We Are

Charity singles have their heart in the right place, but musically this plays things super safe. When is Starto going to get their mojo back?

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Stray Kids – Why?

Stray Kids’ Japanese material has been pretty strong so far. I like the driving rock energy of this track, but it needs a stronger chorus.

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White Scorpion – Satisfaction Graffiti (song of the week!)

Their streak continues. This is another chugging, emotive dance track in the vein of Sakamichi Series acts but with enough edge to make it stand out.

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XG & Valorant – Undefeated

The cut-and-paste trap beat feels dated and the song doesn’t boast anything unique to keep me coming back for more. I’m so tired of this cliched lyrical boasting, too.

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This week’s old favorite:

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Fairies – Metropolis (2019)

Very much my style of sleek, anthemic dance pop with a big chorus and layered vocals. Japan set the template for this sound and I wish we heard more of it in today’s releases.