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.

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 // Nov 19 – Nov 25 // Nov 26 – Dec 2

THIS WEEK: Dec 3 – Dec 9

Aimyon – Anone

Pleasant. Drowsy.

Chilli Beans. – Doll

This has a nice groove, though I wish the energy was a bit higher.

CRAVITY – Dilly Dally

I wrote about this here. I found it pretty unmemorable.

Hinata Kashiwagi – Santa Santa Santa

A Christmas song that doesn’t really sound like a Christmas song. I like the energy.

IMP. – I Got It

I’m a big fan of this group, but I must disown this song. It’s hard to get through. I really don’t like this obnoxious sound.

Kis-My-Ft2 – C’monova

I wrote about this here. I liked it, but they can do better.

Koda Kumi – Tooi Machi No Dokokade… / So Fever

We’ve got a Christmas song and a dance track that reminds me of the Pussycat Dolls. I prefer the latter, but neither one does a ton for me.

Moonchild – Warning

Too slow without enough memorable melody. Come to think of it, that’s kind of my 2023 music critique in a nutshell!

Nogizaka46 – Omoide ga Tomaranakunaru (song of the week!)

When these Sakamichi groups find the right melodies, their sound just soars. I love the chorus on this. It’s a song of the week!

One Love One Heart – Aise, Shigoku Sanzan na Bokura no Hi wo (song of the week!)

Okay, I really like this song. It’s been stuck in my head for days and it’s definitely a song of the week. But, can we get more music where the girls and boys sing equally? That’s the biggest charm of this group!

One N’ Only – Hook Up

J-pop stop trying to be K-pop challenge.

Sky-Hi x Nissy – Super Idol

This should be a monumental return, but the song is sadly awful.

STAYC – Lit

I wrote about this here. I thought it was okay.

Super UNiSON – UniFY

I’ve got my eye on this group. The song is kinda rough, but they have potential.

TAN – Violet (song of the week!)

One of the best K-pop b-sides of the year has become a Japanese single. Now, I don’t know which countdown to place it on my year-end lists. I think I prefer the Korean version, but this is still a song of the week.

XG – Winter Without You

This reminds me of the subdued, late-album tracks on early-2000’s era pop albums. I usually skipped them back then and probably still would, but this is weirdly nostalgic.