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 // Oct 25 – Oct 31
THIS WEEK: November 1 – November 7
Ado – Shinka
A solid, upbeat Ado song.
AK-69 – Seasons (ft. Ayumi Hamasaki) (song of the week!)
I wrote about this a few weeks ago and now it has a music video.
An Amp – Guilty Devotion
Has a nice sense of movement.
BE:FIRST – Now U Know
A decent and predictable 90s hip-hop throwback.
Black Iris – Polaris
Typical toe-tapping boy group fare. Pretty boring, though.
BoA – Hohaba
I wrote about this here. I thought it was okay.
BUDDiiS – Mugendai LOVE
I wrote about this a couple weeks ago and now it has a music video.
CIRRA – Snow Dress
Meh. A typical ballad with a beat.
East Of Eden – Ghost Sequence
Pummeling rock.
ENJIN – Super Dive
This group has released great music in the past. This one’s just okay.
Fudanjuku – Setsuna (song of the week!)
This is a lot of fun. Classic J-pop sound. The chorus reminds me a bit of my beloved Predia, actually.
GAN – Watch
I like the beat a lot. The whispering is an interesting choice.
Hey! Say! JUMP – Romeo & Juliet+
Extremely cheesy, but I like the ornate, symphonic production.
ME:I – Rock & Roll Pretty
I wrote about this song last week and now it has a music video.
milet – My Voice, My Life
A good old-fashioned belter.
≒JOY – Rockstarsama (song of the week!)
Definitely one of their stronger songs. I really like the punchy instrumental. The chorus is a standout, too.
OCTPATH – Smile Song
Meh. Forced fun.
One Love One Heart – You Are My Life
Their version of chill, coffeehouse music?
RADWIMPS – Shabadaba
I’m not super familiar with their discography, but this feels much more dance-adjacent than normal, right?
The Rampage – One Shot
I was almost ready to call this their best single in years, but then the song… doesn’t really go anywhere? It’s nice to have Kazuma back, though.
Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi – Cheetah
I wrote about this here. I thought it was okay.
SUPER★DRAGON – Instinct
I wish I liked this song more because I enjoy the heavy rock sound.
The Super Fruit – Chinpun Kanpun Life
It will definitely take a certain type of listener to enjoy this.
TK from Ling tosite sigure – Ashidematoi
Super cool and experimental and explosive as ever.
XG – Depends
I wrote about this here. I thought it was okay.
Yamashita Tomohisa – Dreaming
This doesn’t really go anywhere, but I love the synth textures.
