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 // Jun 4 – Jun 10 // Jun 11 – Jun 17 // Jun 18 – Jun 24 // Jun 25 – Jul 1 // Jul 2 – Jul 8 // Jul 9 – Jul 15

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THIS WEEK: July 16 – July 22

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Black Iris – That That That

Very K-pop coded.

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Hinatazaka46 – Glass Mado ga Yogoreteru

Hinatazaka46’s new single was released this week, complete with one last music video. I like this one.

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INI – My Story

An anthemic mid-tempo from the group, preceding another digital single set for release next month.

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JO1 – NEWSmile

JO1’s music is SO hit-or-miss for me. I like the upbeat energy of this, but the song feels like a b-side. It’s kinda dull.

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Klang Ruler – Goodbye World (b-side of the week!)

I loved Klang Ruler’s last single Wait A Minute. Goodbye World isn’t as addictive, but its upbeat 80’s sound is still in keeping with the group’s strengths. I’ll give it my “b-side of the week,” though it’s been a very slow week.

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Lee Junho – Can I

Junho has such a strong Japanese discography. Can I is no Ice Cream or DSMN, but its funky beat goes down easy.

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Lil League – Monster

I’ll feature the group’s single Higher on next week’s round-up, but prior to that we have a dance video for coupling track Monster. I like its rock and symphonic elements.

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Momoiro Clover Z – Re:volution

Some fist-pumping idol rock for your Sunday!

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Reol – Edge

I love the jagged electronic production on this.

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S**t Kingz – No End (ft. Daichi Miura) (single of the week!)

I’m kind of cheating on this one since the video has been out for a few weeks. However, the single was officially released this week and it’s my favorite song on this list so I wanted to give it some spotlight. Daichi Miura + rock music is a pretty awesome match.

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(sic)boy – Miss You (ft. Vernon of Seventeen)

Not one of my favorite (sic)boy tracks, but the Seventeen connection easily earns it a spot on this week’s list.

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Tomohisa Yamashita – Sweet Vision

A solid offering from his new album. I wish I was more excited about the direction he was taking his music, though.

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UVERworld – Encore Again (ft. Shunto from BE:FIRST)

This is an interesting collaboration, pulling new sounds from both acts.

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This week’s old favorite:

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Hey! Say! JUMP – Kemono to Bara (2019)

They just uploaded the full mv to YouTube this week, so this seems like a good time to remind everyone how awesome this track is. Actually, this entire album is excellent.