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.
THIS WEEK: Jan 7 - Jan 13
DXTEEN – Snowin'
I have this weird thing about not wanting to hear wintry tracks after December... even though winter has technically just started.
Anyway, this is okay. It certainly doesn't live up to their last single.
Gang Parade - Yakudou
Ooh, I like this a lot. The traditional elements mixed with big EDM beats and the general nonstop energy make this a very satisfying track.
JO1 - Your Key
I'm hoping JO1's music will grab me again in 2024. This is a decent start. It's very light on its feet.
Koda Kumi – Vroom
This single now has a music video. I still don't care for it.
Kyocco Rohee - After You! (song of the week!)
This is a special unit composed of a Hinatazaka46 member and a comedian. The song is much better than that description lets on. I absolutely love its bounding, anthemic riffs. It's such a mood booster!
lol – Life Is
I didn't realize lol had a new album coming this week. They had a couple good songs last year. I'm not as crazy about this one but I like the beat.
Masayoshi Oishi - Super Adorable Gal
Silly, cartoonish fun with fun funk production.
NAQT VANE – Puzzle
NAQT VANE's new album is very good. This isn't my favorite song from it, but it's a good taster of the general sound. Their music has a very evocative tone.
Novel Core – Rulers
It's interesting how rock music is also doing the Y2K thing. The production here has some very old-school elements that make it fun.
Orbit – Bull's Eye
This is very joyful and bouncy. I like it a lot and I'm eager to see the eventual music video.
Ryosuke Miura – 24HEAVEN (song of the week!)
I don't know if this will be getting a video or physical release, but I hope so! This is a really great return for Ryosuke Miura. It's like Exile Tribe meets SHINee -- a very big electro sound.
Sakurazaka46 - Kimi ga Sayonaraietatte (Yui Kobayashi solo)
This is absolutely gorgeous. It works best when paired with the emotional music video.
Sandal Telephone – Sparkle
This group continues to be much better than their weird name suggests. Sparkle has a very jubilant sound.
SixTONES – Anthem (song of the week!)
This is my favorite SixTONES song in some time. I love the aggressive rock energy. I only wish the instrumental didn't drop out in verse two (though that's not present in YouTube's short version). Still, the chorus is a total winner and I'm obsessed with the double-time finale.
Something From Nothing from the new album is also very good. I like their music best when it rocks out.
Stereo Dive Foundation - Drifters
I'm always happy to hear more music from Stereo Dive Foundation because it's always good.
Super Junior-L.S.S. - Ceremony
Just pure silliness.
White Scorpion - Coyote ga Naiteiru
I don't like this as much as their debut, but I'm still interested in this group.
This week's old favorite:
AKB48 - Boku No Taiyou (2007)
I'm hardly an expert in AKB48's sprawling discography, but this is one of my favorite early singles from them. It has that anthemic J-pop sound I love so much.
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