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.

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 // Jul 12 – Jul 18 // Jul 19 – Jul 25 // Jul 26 – Aug 1 // Aug 2 – Aug 8 // Aug 9 – Aug 15 // Aug 16 – Aug 22 // Aug 23 – Aug 29

THIS WEEK: August 30 – September 5

ATARASHII GAKKO! x AiNA THE END – Sweet Memories

This is a fun pairing and continues the success of ATARASHII GAKKO’s recent retro offerings.

Bangers – MISSIONE:ONE

This has great parts and other parts that completely kill the vibe.

Daichi Miura – Original Fake

He needs to get better material again. This goes nowhere.

Genki Iwahashi – Truth

Seems to be building to something it never quite achieves, but this is nice.

GRe4N BOYZ – Niji

An enjoyable, chugging rock track.

Hinatazaka46 – Ityaityamushi

Very sprightly. Not one of my favorite Hinatazaka tracks, though. The post-chorus instrumental is nice.

Hiroyuki Takami – Follow The Wind

I’m always down for new music from him. This is suitably dramatic.

ICHILLIN’ J – BANANA (Look At Me!)

Makes me wonder what would happen if I randomly shouted “BANANA (Look At Me!)” in a public setting. The song is a fine bit of pop/rock.

imase – Just Like The Wind

So boring.

izna – Dumb Hot!

I wrote about this here. I disliked it.

Kiko Mizuhara – Feelin’ Wee

Feelin’ what??

King & Prince – So Honey

That title is one “r” away from being hilarious. The song, less so.

MA55IVE THE RAMPAGE – Departure

I appreciate how they’re experimenting with different sounds. The rock influence works pretty well.

MHRJ – Sayonara Kata Pad (ft. Kenta Hamano)

This is a ton of fun, especially the video.

The Rampage x Doberman Infinity x Exile The Second – ROKUENSAI

Meh. Lots of useless noise with a few decent moments.

RED in BLUE – The Hands (song of the week!)

A pretty damn good rock song, if that’s your thing. Great melodies.

Rockon Social Club – The Warriors

A big, retro power rock track. It’s fun for what it is.

RUNIDRE – On Your Mark (song of the week!)

Now this is a beat! I absolutely love the production on this. They also released mvs for every song on their debut EP, which has great personality. It has a scrappy, DIY energy that’s very appealing. Definitely a group to watch, I’d say. I also love how they look like Johnnys idols straight from the year 2000. I’m not sure if it’s an intentional ode, but the aesthetic is on point.