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
THIS WEEK: June 28 – July 4
Ado – Love Me Forever!
This is such a brighter sound for her.
AiNA THE END – Blue Shining Star
I love the lower register of her voice.
ASCA – Hello, New Wonder!!
About as uplifting and energetic as that title sounds.
Bangers – Gigazokkon
I very much enjoy the 90s hip-hop production.
Batten Girls – Sinra Bassho
The percussion on this is crazy.
BE:FIRST – Missing
I like the general sound. The song itself doesn’t do much for me.
CIRRA – Water
It’s nice to hear something so summery.
EBiDAN Ebisu Gakuen Boys Club – Yes! Tokyo (song of the week!)
This is actually a ton of fun. I like these big team-ups between groups and the chorus is suitably explosive.
ENDRECHERI – Thinking Time (ft. BREIMEN) (song of the week!)
I love the funky instrumental.
ENHYPEN – We’ll Be Fine
Playing this after Knife is major whiplash.
FLOW – +ENCOUNT
An absolute blast of energy.
GAN – Who’s Next
The brass is nice. Otherwise, I feel like I’ve heard this track a million times before.
Giga & Teddyloid – Violetta (ft. CHOGAKUSEI) (song of the week!)
Their production is always awesome. This is very good.
Kis-My-Ft2 – My Affection
Doesn’t feel like a particularly notable ballad from them.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Focus Focus
Not really my thing, but fans will appreciate it.
MEIYO DENSETSU – New Goddess
I’m not familiar with this band, but this is very catchy.
NiziU – Make You Happy (2026 Version)
Not entirely sure what the point of this is. Fan service, I guess. (And filler for their greatest hits album)
Omoinotake – Flashbulb
This has such a nostalgic sound. It feels like the soundtrack of some youth drama.
ONEUS – Under
I wrote about this here. I found it very forgettable.
Sekai No Owari – Stella
They’re back! So good to hear from them, and this is a pretty solid track.
Super Eight – Saisaku
Meh. Typical rock track. The chorus is good, though.
Tomohiro Kamiyama – G.O.D.
He’s one of the WEST. members I’d be most curious to hear solo work from, but this song isn’t really working for me. It’s very K-pop in a bad way.
Wolf Howl Harmony – Kokoniiru
A nice orchestral ballad.
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