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 // 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 // Aug 30 – Sep 5 // Sep 6 – Sep 12

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THIS WEEK: September 13 – 19

Ae! group – Emotion

A decent rock track.

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AsIs – Rashinban

Another solid single from them.

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ATARASHII GAKKO! x AiNA THE END – Sweet Memories

I wrote about this a few weeks ago but now it has an mv.

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BE:FIRST – Watch Me (ft. BIA)

Meh. This all sounds quite dull to me.

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ENJIN – Evolution

Kind of a nothingburger as a song but the beat is nice.

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Fujii Kaze – You

I like the retro synths, but this is a bit sleepy for me.

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Hokuto x Airi Suzuki – Zombie In Love

Quirky… I guess?

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Kazuki Kato – Born To Smash

I’d say the song mostly delivers on that aggressive title. It’s a solid slice of high-octane J-rock.

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Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Tsukihime

Hmm… doesn’t really go anywhere.

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Man With A Mission – The Animals

Love this band. Not so much this song.

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M!LK – Toki Koete Universe

I wrote about this last week but now it has an mv.

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Naniwa Danshi – Black Out Mission

Kinda cool in a retro, jazzy way, but not really my thing.

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NAZE – I Like It

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

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ONE OR EIGHT – Translate

Translation: irritating.

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Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi – Cheetah

I’m not sure if this is getting an mv or not, but it’s better than Red Velvet’s summer comeback – especially if you like the recent club trends in K-pop.

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Ryokuoushoku Shakai – Taboo

I wrote about this last week but now it has an mv.

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Sakurazaka46 – Ai MUST BE

To be clear, that’s “Ai” as in “love”… not AI as in artificial intelligence. Sadly, this song isn’t nearly as strong as their material earlier this year, but it’s still decent.

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Sekai No Owari – Supermarket

God, I love his voice. As for the song… I’ve definitely heard better.

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Taisho Maeda – Yes, Call in LOVE (song of the week!)

This has a delightfully old-school sound and brisk, airy pace. It’s a small yes from me.

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TM NETWORK – Superposition

Well, I didn’t expect a new song from these legends! I can’t say it’s among their best, but I’m happy to hear from them.

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WANIMA – Matana

It’s got an enjoyable anthemic energy.