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

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THIS WEEK: Apr 28 – May 4

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ANGERME – Bibitaru Ichigeki

This group is pretty hit or miss for me. This leans closer to “miss,” though I like its energy.

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Da-iCE – I Wonder

I posted about this before but now it has an official music video.

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f5ve – Lettuce

This is a re-debut for the very short-lived SG5. It’s not for me, and it’s soooo short!

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Genin Wa Jibun Ni Aru – Mania

I like this. In fact, I’ve enjoyed their past few singles. The guitar is a nice touch.

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Glim Spanky – Fighter

Fiery energy that reminds me of Superfly’s excellent Dynamite.

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Hinatazaka46 – Amegafuttatte

These Sakamichi groups just aren’t doing it for me this year. It’s weird because their 2023 felt quite strong.

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ICEx – Bilimi

I really like the production on this one. I’m hoping an upcoming music video will help me appreciate the song more because the beat is great.

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Kamigata Boyz – Musikinin de Eejanaika Love

I can’t with this kind of over-the-top Kansai sound. It’s fun to see all these groups together, but the song is like an obnoxious comedy sketch.

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Kid Phenomenon – Ace In The Hole

LDH are giving these new Jr.Exile groups a ton of releases this year. Unfortunately, very little of the music stands up to the debut eras of Generations, The Rampage or Fantastics.

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LANA – My Life

This is the second song from LANA I’ve enjoyed, so maybe I need to dig deeper into her work.

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MAISONdes – Wannabe (ft. Hoshimachi Suisei & Sakuma)

The animated side of J-pop is largely a mystery to me so I don’t know much about any of these people, but the song is one of the stronger offerings this week. That chorus slaps.

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Queen Bee – Headless Angel (song of the week!)

I’m like a broken record, praising everything Avu-chan touches. But I can’t help it that every single new Queen Bee or Ryugujo song is awesome. This isn’t as instant as Super Memorial, but I still love it.

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SixTONES – Neiro

Dull.

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w-inds. – Imagination

It’s amazing how long w-inds. have been in the industry and how solid their music remains. This is a fun summery bop.

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&TEAM – Maybe

Dull Pt.2, but a bit more melodically satisfying.

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This week’s old favorite:

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Romeo (Park Jung Min) – Give Me Your Heart (2012)

Romeo is a pseudonym for SS501’s Park Jung Min, and the material he released under this name is really good. Give Me Your Heart is the centerpiece — a raging dance rock track with a killer chorus.