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 // Aug 30 – Sep 5 // Sep 6 – Sep 12 // Sep 13 – Sep 19 // Sep 20 – Sep 26 // Sep 27 – Oct 3 // Oct 4 – Oct 10 // Oct 11 – Oct 17 // Oct 18 – Oct 24

THIS WEEK: October 25 – October 31

Galileo Galilei – Oxygen199

I admire a long intro in a song these days. Otherwise, this is kind of unremarkable.

Generations – Saiko!!

I was expecting something much more energetic from that title.

Girls² – Umbrella (song of the week!)

Ooh, I’m in for this early-2010s EDM energy.

HANA – Slidin

It’s a vibe, I guess.

JO1 – Ignite (song of the week!)

Their strongest single in awhile. I like the rock sound on them.

KERENMI – Eesho! (ft. Novel Core)

This is a very effective rock and rap hybrid with a strong Halloween flavor.

Man With A Mission – Firestarter

I wrote about this two weeks ago and now it has a music video.

MARiA – Mirai Compass

This has a rousing “let’s go on an adventure!” energy and I like her voice.

ME:I – Rock & Roll Pretty

These kind of rock pastiches are always a bit silly, but this one’s good fun, I guess.

M!LK – That’s!Chojo

The official title has no spaces between words, so that’s how I’m writing it. Anyway, this is a good burst of energy. They’ve really settled into this sound lately.

NGT48 – Kaze No Kataomoi

I like the guitar in this. Otherwise, the song unfurls as expected.

ONE OK ROCK – Fever

It’s okay. The canned chants are a bit generic, though.

Palette Parade – Dakara bokura wa iro o kasaneru

A nice, stirring J-pop sound.

PassCode – Genesis

A satisfying blend of heavy rock and electronic elements.

STARGLOW – Slam Dunk

They’ve yet to match the strength of their first two releases, sadly. This sounds like everyone else out there.

T.N.T – Radiant

Another solid – but pretty predictable – rocker.

Tokyo Gegegay – Maaikka! (song of the week!)

Oh, how I wish this was longer. I really like what we have, but it needs another minute to groove. (The actual song is about 30sec longer than the music video, but still…)