News
Novelbright first album “WONDERLAND” out May 27th!
WONDERLAND (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
5-piece rock band Novelbright is releasing their album this month! Titled WONDERLAND, this first full-length record will contain 12 tracks total. “Kimi-iro Note” is the lead song from this album, and has a tie-up to the cosmetic company Kate.
The music video to “Kimi-iro Note” is available on Novelbright’s official YouTube channel, and can be previewed below the track list.
The indie band had also announced tour dates in May, that are now paused due to the pandemic. Instead, they have performed at several online YouTube live events.
Miura Toko debut mini album “ASTERISK” out May 27th!
ASTERISK (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Actress Miura Toko, best known for her role as the female lead in the animated film Tenki no Ko (Weathering With You), is releasing her debut mini album on May 27th! Titled ASTERISK, the release will contain 7 songs.
The first track, titled “uzu”, contains vocals but no words and has been released with a music video to Toko’s YouTube channel. It can be previewed below the track list.
milet debut album “eyes” out on June 3rd!
eyes (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter milet is releasing her first album at the beginning of June! The previous release date was in May, but has been pushed back. Titled eyes, the album will contain 18 tracks, although 10 of the songs have been previously released, while 8 will be original material. The previously released songs are from milet’s 5 EPs.
The album release trailer and music videos to most of the tracks are available on milet’s official YouTube channel. Several can be previewed below the track list. milet’s voice fits into the “indie style” of singing, and her songwriting prominently and frequently uses the “Millenial whoop” pattern.
Reol new album “Kinjitou” out Jan 22nd!
Kinjitou (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Iconic singer-songwriter Reol is releasing her album next week! Titled Kinjitou, this will be Reol’s second album on the Victor label as a solo artist. It will contain 11 tracks total, including the digital singles “Yuureizu-me” (stylized as “Phanto(me)”) and “HYPE MODE.”
The album release trailer and several music videos are available on Reol’s official YouTube channel, and can be previewed below the track list.
Rihwa new album “Who You R” CD out on Jan 22nd!
Who You R (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Rihwa is releasing her third album Who You R to CD on January 22nd! The album was recently released digitally on Christmas Day and can be found at various streaming music services at this link. The physical CD version will contain the same 11 tracks, including the digital singles “Love Today!”, “You Are My Road”, and “This is Christmas!”
Music videos to “Love Today!” and “You Are My Road” are available on Rihwa’s official YouTube channel, and can be previewed below the track list.
Kimura Takuya new album “Go with the Flow” out on Jan 8th!
Go with the Flow (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Celebrity actor and singer Kimura Takuya is releasing an album on January 8th! Go with the Flow will be Takuya’s first album as a solo artist, as his accomplished singing career has been as a member of the group SMAP, which spanned 25 years and disbanded in 2016. SMAP, which started out an idol boy band, became a social phenomenon in Japan, and was arguably the most popular music group in the country during the 1990’s. Takuya, known as “KimuTaku” by fans, might be the most popular of the SMAP members.
JAM Project 20th anniversary album “The Age of Dragon Knights” out on New Year’s Day!
The Age of Dragon Knights (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
“Superband” JAM Project is releasing a new album to commemorate their 20th anniversary! Titled The Age of Dragon Knights, the album will be released on New Year’s Day 2020. The cover art features the members in medieval-inspired costumes, and will contain 15 songs total, including “Freaking out! ~Fukkatsu no Oi Punk~” and “Returner ~Fukkatsu no Legend” which have tie-ups to the ONE PUNCH MAN PS4/X Box One game and the Battle Spirits Saga Brave anime, respectively.
Hanyuu Maigo album “Mashou no Kamatoto” released Dec 18th!
Mashou no Kamatoto (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Composer and vocaloid producer Hanyuu Maigo released his second album, Mashou no Kamatoto, on December 18th. The album contains 11 all-new tracks. For this album, Maigo worked with singers Nekoyashiki and Sou, in comparison to his prior album which featured vocaloids Miku and FLOWER.
Most of the tracks feature Nekoyashiki’s voice, while the last song “Sekai de ichiban ja nai anata wo aishitara” is a duet with both Nekoyashiki and Sou. The vocal mixing has been tuned to sound similar to vocaloids.
octaviagrace new album “Radiant” out today!
Radiant (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Merry Christmas!
4-member band octaviagrace is releasing their second album today. Titled Radiant, the album contains 11 tracks total, which are all new material not included on their previous album and EPs. The indie band has released the music video to the lead song “Radiant” and a lyric video to “Lucent moon” on their official YouTube channel, which can be previewed below the track list.
Arai Akino new mini album “Tsubame” released Dec 18th!
Tsubame (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer and musician Arai Akino released a new mini album on December 18th! Three years after releasing her 30th anniversary album Little Piano Plus in 2016, Akino released Tsubame this month, a mini album with seven original new songs. In the interim, the artist has been focusing on producing artists on her independent record label, Pure Heart. While her style and voice have evolved over time, Arai continues to sing in a soft, soothing voice with light backing music grounded in piano and violin accompaniment.
Recent Posts
- Aaand…back, partially! Jan 9, 2022
- The music is still playing ♪ Jul 25, 2021
- JUNNA new album “20 x 20” out on December 9th! Nov 28, 2020
- OAU best-of album “Re:New Acoustic Life” out on December 9th! Nov 28, 2020
- KEIKO debuts solo album “Lantana” on December 2nd! Nov 27, 2020
- BoA 10th album “Better” out in December! Nov 27, 2020
- OAU – Midnight Sun [English Lyrics] Nov 20, 2020