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.

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2023-2025 Index

2026 Index: Dec 28 – Jan 3 // Jan 4 – Jan 10 // Jan 11 – Jan 17 // Jan 18 – Jan 24 // Jan 25 – Jan 31 // Feb 1 – Feb 7 // Feb 8 – Feb 14 // Feb 15 – Feb 21 // Feb 22 – Feb 28 // Mar 1 – Mar 7 // Mar 8 – Mar 14 // Mar 15 – Mar 21 // Mar 22 – Mar 28 // Mar 29 – Apr 4 // Apr 5 – Apr 11 // Apr 12 – Apr 18 // Apr 19 – Apr 25 // Apr 26 – May 2 // May 3 – May 9 // May 10 – May 16 // May 17 – May 23 // May 24 – May 30 // May 31 – Jun 6 // Jun 7 – Jun 13 // Jun 14 – Jun 20 // Jun 21 – Jun 27

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THIS WEEK: June 28 – July 4

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Ado – Love Me Forever!

This is such a brighter sound for her.

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AiNA THE END – Blue Shining Star

I love the lower register of her voice.

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ASCA – Hello, New Wonder!!

About as uplifting and energetic as that title sounds.

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Bangers – Gigazokkon

I very much enjoy the 90s hip-hop production.

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Batten Girls – Sinra Bassho

The percussion on this is crazy.

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BE:FIRST – Missing

I like the general sound. The song itself doesn’t do much for me.

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CIRRA – Water

It’s nice to hear something so summery.

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EBiDAN Ebisu Gakuen Boys Club – Yes! Tokyo (song of the week!)

This is actually a ton of fun. I like these big team-ups between groups and the chorus is suitably explosive.

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ENDRECHERI – Thinking Time (ft. BREIMEN) (song of the week!)

I love the funky instrumental.

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ENHYPEN – We’ll Be Fine

Playing this after Knife is major whiplash.

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FLOW – +ENCOUNT

An absolute blast of energy.

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GAN – Who’s Next

The brass is nice. Otherwise, I feel like I’ve heard this track a million times before.

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Giga & Teddyloid – Violetta (ft. CHOGAKUSEI) (song of the week!)

Their production is always awesome. This is very good.

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Kis-My-Ft2 – My Affection

Doesn’t feel like a particularly notable ballad from them.

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Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Focus Focus

Not really my thing, but fans will appreciate it.

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MEIYO DENSETSU – New Goddess

I’m not familiar with this band, but this is very catchy.

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NiziU – Make You Happy (2026 Version)

Not entirely sure what the point of this is. Fan service, I guess. (And filler for their greatest hits album)

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Omoinotake – Flashbulb

This has such a nostalgic sound. It feels like the soundtrack of some youth drama.

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ONEUS – Under

I wrote about this here. I found it very forgettable.

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Sekai No Owari – Stella

They’re back! So good to hear from them, and this is a pretty solid track.

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Super Eight – Saisaku

Meh. Typical rock track. The chorus is good, though.

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Tomohiro Kamiyama – G.O.D.

He’s one of the WEST. members I’d be most curious to hear solo work from, but this song isn’t really working for me. It’s very K-pop in a bad way.

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Wolf Howl Harmony – Kokoniiru

A nice orchestral ballad.