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 // Jun 28 – Jul 4 // Jul 5 – Jul 11

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THIS WEEK: July 12 – July 18

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AKB48 – Sukish

A standard 48-style song.

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Da-iCE – Unlimited

Their music just isn’t really for me anymore, which is a shame. I like the chorus, though.

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DXTEEN – Wanna

A much “harder” sound for them. I don’t love it but I do like it. There are a few great hooks hiding under the chanting and incessant vocal effects.

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Fruits Zipper – Sensation

Wow, this is so different for them.

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GNJB – Kaen

A bit too overstuffed.

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Kana Nishino – Power Of Love

I really like the symphonic elements in the verses/prechorus. The chorus is much more generic, unfortunately. Still a pleasant surprise.

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Kenshi Yonezu – Yodaka

More sonically interesting than his usual material, but this still feels somewhat tuneless to me.

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Kento Nakajima – Onigoto

I like the energy of this but the melodies aren’t hitting.

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M!LK – You!Joy!Parade!

The exclamation marks and lack of spaces in the title pretty much tell you how this will sound. It’s not for me.

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Milet – Sunny

Easy listening.

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Mrs. Green Apple – Brand New

This doesn’t remind me of Spider-man at all…

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NCT Wish – YO-I-DON!

I wrote about this here. I thought it was okay.

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Nogizaka46 – Foruteshimo

It’s a nice song but the mixing sounds even more washed out than normal.

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Number_i – Bugs Life

Not something I’d probably listen to often, but I admire its chutzpah.

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NXON – Ride Or Die (song of the week!)

I wrote about this here. I liked it!

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ONE OR EIGHT – Yankee Squat

That song title…
Anyway, this is kind of fun. Is that a refashioned BLACKPINK Jump sample I hear during the chorus?

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Ozaki Takumi (INI) – Sonzai Shoumei (song of the week!)

I wrote about this here. I liked it!

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PG – Superstar (song of the week!)

Oh, this is the kind of pounding EDM anthem I turn to during summer. It’s nothing new, but I so appreciate the energy.

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SixTONES – Dance Forever

I wrote about this last month and now it has a music video. Sadly, it does not make me want to dance forever so that’s false advertising.

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TAGRIGHT – Zero

We have a glut of this light pop/rock sound in K-pop and J-pop at the moment, but it’s one of the few trends I enjoy so I’m okay with another one. The melodies could be much stronger, though.

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UNIS – GimmeSummer☆

Gimme a different summer song, please.

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Wolf & Wander – Better Day (song of the week!)

There’s something so refreshingly old-school about this. It’s nice to hear a song this melodic, even if those melodies are also pretty generic.

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Yukipoyo – Te-Te Gyaru

Annoying, but I guess that’s the point.