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.

*And just like I do with my reviews, I’ll wait until full versions of songs are available before posting them in this round-up. This will mostly apply to Johnny’s groups, who still limit the majority of their YouTube uploads to shorter, edited versions.

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2023 Index: Feb 1 – Feb 18 // Feb 19 – 25 // Feb 26 – Mar 3 // Mar 4 – Mar 10 // Mar 11 – Mar 18 // Mar 19 – Mar 25 // Mar 26 – Apr 1 // Apr 2 – Apr 8 // Apr 9 – Apr 15 // Apr 16 – Apr 22 // Apr 23 – Apr 29 // Apr 30 – May 6 // May 7 – May 13 // May 14 – May 20 // May 21 – May 27 // May 29 – Jun 3

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THIS WEEK: June 4 – June 10

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Aina The End – Red:birthmark (single of the week!)

I wrote about this here. I loved it, and it’s my single of the week!

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BLUE ENCOUNT – Yuzai fukoku

A super-solid rock track.

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Fantastics – Tell Me

This will be promoted with a music video in time, so I’ll give deeper thoughts when that premieres. For now, I just wanted to make note of new Fantastics music because… well… I adore Fantastics music.

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Genin Wa Jibun Ni Aru. – Foxy Grape

I really want to love this group but I just don’t think their music is for me. New single Foxy Grape doesn’t make any new inroads, sadly.

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Hiromi Go – Orewa Saiko

I’ll always be up for a punchy rock “you can do it!” anthem.

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Johnny’s West – Shiawase no Hana

This song feels like a warm hug. It’s quintessential Johnny’s West, from performance style to melodic heft. They pull it off so well. The b-sides are solid, too. Pile is one of the strongest songs they’ve recorded in a while.

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KREVA – Rassera

This sounds a bit like the single he produced for King & Prince last year. It’s good!

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My First Story – Tokyo Midnight

I don’t know much about My First Story, but if this song is any indication I’ll have to do a deep dive into their catalog sometime. It’s got great, driving energy.

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Sexy Zone – Purple Rain / Chapter II (Album) (single of the week!) (b-side of the week!)

I wrote about Purple Rain here. I loved it, and it’s my second single of the week!

The album is also incredibly strong – definitely one of the best of 2023 so far. There are a few songs I’d easily rank in the high 8’s or low 9’s, including the hard-hitting dance of Bump, the 80’s arena rock of Message, the new jack swing of Make You Mine, the tropical house jam Take A New Step and the hip-hop brass of Saikai no Aizu. I don’t know which one is my b-side of the week because they’re all so great!

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Siegfeld Institute of Music Junior High – Rebellion

I mostly just love this group’s name, but the song is pretty good too.

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SKE48 – Suki Ni Nacchatta

This is pretty much what you’d expect from a light, bouncy 48 track. I enjoy it, even though I feel like I’ve heard it dozens of times before.

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Tomohisa Yamashita – I See You

This is an OST ballad that sounds very much like an OST ballad. I happen to love Yamashita’s voice, so it’s a mild thumbs up from me.

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Travis Japan – Still On A Journey

Travis Japan’s first EP is stuffed with cheesy pop goodness. I like all the b-sides, but I have a soft spot for this early-10’s throwback. The melodies are spot on.

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This week’s old favorite:

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Kitayama Hiromitsu (Kis-My-Ft2) – Hai ni Naru Mae ni (2021)

I’m posting this in honor of Kitayama, days after he announced his departure from Kis-My-Ft2 at the end of August. Even though this has been rumored for a few months, it still stings. The group won’t be the same without him, and I hope they’ve got some new music on the way before he leaves. I never thought Kisumai would be anything less than seven! 😦

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