[October 2025] The latest J-Pop releases. Check out the hottest new tracks!

Reach to the heavensNEW!Yumi Matsutoya

Yumi Matsutoya – Reach to the Heavens

This piece was written by Yumi Matsutoya, one of Japan’s most iconic singer-songwriters, as the theme song for the drama “When I Was Little, There Was a God,” which began airing in October 2025.

Its nostalgic melody, the harmony that layers her past vocals—recreated with AI technology—with her present voice, and its grand soundscape resonate deeply.

It carries a curious, floating sensation, as if traveling through multiple dimensions.

A gentle autumn song that links the past and the present.

aliveNEW!Naotaro Moriyama

Naotaro Moriyama / “Ikiteiru” Music Video

This piece is included on Yumizuruhanoha, one of the two concept albums—Yumizuruhanoha and Yeeeehaaaaw—released by Naotaro Moriyama in October 2025.

It’s a song that gazes into the very source of life.

Built solely around piano and strings, its ambient soundscape gently envelops the tremors and transience of everyday life.

Moriyama’s deep, folk-rooted vocals and lyrical melody resonate in the heart.

It’s a track that quietly stays by your side when you lose your way in life.

Final scene.NEW!eill

eill | Last Scene. (Official Music Video)

Singer-songwriter eill, known for her translucent vocals and versatile musicality, continues to draw attention.

Chosen as the theme song for Amazon Prime Video’s reality dating show “Love Transit Season 3,” this track was released for streaming in October 2025.

Set to a classic R&B groove, it delicately portrays the emotions of a woman striving to move forward while holding onto feelings for someone she’s parted ways with.

It’s moving in its depiction of the aching loneliness of having no one left to keep her warm, alongside the complex desire to cherish that love in her heart forever.

Give it a listen when you feel like looking back on a past romance.

Unhappy birthday constructionNEW!Sakurazaka46

Sakurazaka46 “Unhappy Birthday Syntax” Music Video

The 13th single, “Unhappy birthday Syntax,” released in October 2025, is a track that shines with a dark aesthetic, themed around the loneliness and inner conflict one feels on what is supposed to be a celebratory birthday.

Its ethereal yet unsettling sound brilliantly captures inner turmoil.

The lyrics sharply depict despair and nihilism about growing older.

It also drew attention for being the first time third-generation member Yuu Murai served as center.

Be sure to give this daring idol song a listen.

Get No Satisfied !NEW!JAM Project feat.BABYMETAL

Get No Satisfied !

A collaboration between a titan of the anison world and the trailblazers of kawaii metal.

It’s the opening theme for the third season of the anime One-Punch Man, which aired from October 2025.

Written and composed by Hironobu Kageyama, the song powerfully captures the spirit of a hero who never knows satisfaction and keeps fighting on.

Fusing JAM Project’s hot-blooded anison flair with BABYMETAL’s metal idol melodies, it boldly transcends genre boundaries.

When you need the courage to face hardships, give this track a listen.

RecipeNEW!timelesz

timelesz "Recipe" (YouTube Ver.)

This song, one of the tracks on a double A-side single, was chosen as the theme for the TV Asahi drama “Papa to Oyaji no Uchi Gohan.” It’s a piece that closely aligns with the drama’s worldview, in which member So Matsushima stars and Shuto Inomata appears.

It gently sings about everyday happiness, layering the idea of time spent with someone and mutual support onto the word “recipe.” The music video is set in a kindergarten, capturing the members as teachers interacting with the children, and the warm scenes are truly wonderful.

Please take in their positive message.

nomaneNEW!Rime

RIM – No Money

Released in October 2025, this work is themed around the “fleeting sense of invincibility” that arrives during heavy drinking meant to sever anxiety and despair.

Behind the questions about a future that’s been erased, and the words of refusal—choosing not to love, not to expect—lies an urgent longing to go far away.

I imagine many younger listeners will resonate with its sound, where strangeness and familiarity coexist.

It might be a good listen when you’re feeling worn out by everyday life.