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 // Jul 16 – Jul 22 // Jul 23 – Jul 29 // Jul 30 – Aug 5 // Aug 6 – Aug 12 // Aug 13 – Aug 19 // Aug 20 – Aug 26 // Aug 27 – Sep 2 // Sep 3 – Sep 9 // Sep 10 – Sep 16 // Sep 17 – Sep 23 // Sep 24 – Sep 30 // Oct 1 – Oct 7 // Oct 8 – Oct 14 // Oct 15 – Oct 21 // Oct 22 – Oct 28 // Oct 29 – Nov 3 // Nov 4 – Nov 11 // Nov 12 – Nov 18

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THIS WEEK: Nov 19 – Nov 25

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Amefurasshi – Spin

I don’t know anything about this group, but it seems like the kind of sound that would appeal to K-pop fans.

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Burnout Syndromes x ASCA – Kunoichi (song of the week!)

Ooh, I love this. The melodies could be stronger, but the soundscape is absolutely fantastic. It’s a song of the week, for sure.

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East Of Eden – This Moment

A super dramatic, all-female band with a violin? Sign me up!

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Fujii Kaze – Hana

Another Fujii Kaze song that isn’t really my thing but will be beloved by many others. Different strokes for different folks, I guess!

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Jun.K – Command C+Me

My favorite Jun.K song is Japanese, so I always look out for his new J-pop material. This song doesn’t really stand out to me by itself, but I adore the choral elements in the production. It’s certainly an interesting listen.

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LE SSERAFIM – Dresscode

I’m not a huge fan of this song, but the drama it soundtracks is a really fun watch! Good on them for scoring an OST.

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Little Glee Monster – Celebrate

A feelgood energy booster.

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M!LK – Hapidan

I’m so disappointed with where M!LK’s music has gone after switching to a major label. This isn’t what I want from them at all.

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News – Gifted (song of the week!)

News have found their lane and stick to it. This is another cathartic anthem. It’s a song of the week!

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Nogizaka46 – Monopoly

As predicted, we got a music video for this song a week after it was first unveiled. I still like it a lot, though I haven’t found myself going back to it with much frequency.

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The Rampage – What Is Done (ft. Boom Boom Cash) (song of the week!)

This is the most interesting The Rampage have sounded in awhile. I love the rhythmic switch-ups in this song – especially the funky snare that comes in midway through. This is what can be done with 4+ minute track. This is a collaboration with a T-Pop group, which I would have never expected. It’s a song of the week, and I hope it gets a music video!

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The Super Fruit – Aoi Kajitsu

This is much more reserved for them and it works surprisingly well. There’s something very hooky about the instrumental, and I’m curious to see if that will carry through to their first album next month.

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Superfly – Ashes

We’ve got a music video!

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This week’s old favorite:

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lol – Trigger (2018)

I’ve never really written about lol before, but there’s nothing better than a solid, Avex-produced dance track. Trigger is definitely that!