On October 26, SKY-HI and SALU will release their collaboration album, “Say Hello to My Minions.” Today, the duo released the music video for the album’s penultimate track, “Sleep Walking.” In the clip, SKY-HI and SALU don disguises and infiltrate the Shibuya Cypher, a rap battle in the Tokyo neighborhood. Check it out below, along with more information on the album!

Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Arashi defeat RADWIMPS. RADWIMPS is back again this week, facing off against two newcomers. Find out what various staff members thought of the songs that topped the physical and digital charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!

After over a decade and a half away from the music industry, seminal punk-rock band Hi-STANDARD have returned to the scene with a splash.  With no prior announcement, the group made a brand new single titled “ANOTHER STARTING LINE” available for sale this week at both music stores and online retailers – a release which has already reached #2 on Oricon’s daily single chart.

That isn’t all though, as the band will also be releasing another new single titled “Vintage & New, Gift Shits” on December 7th.  This EP will feature four covers of artists such as The Beach Boys and John Lennon done in Hi-STANDARD’s classic hardcore punk style.

Read on below for a look at the track listings for both singles, as well as the short version of the music video for the band’s comeback track “Another Starting Line”.

Following up on the release of their best album this past summer, alternative rock band androp have announced that they will by releasing a new studio album on October 12th.  Their new record will be titled “blue” and is set to include six brand new songs written and arranged by the group’s members.

In support of this release, androp have also uploaded the music video for its lead track “Sunny day” to their official Youtube channel.  The PV was directed by frequent collaborator Kento Takahashi and features an extended jam session before the band perform the song beneath an array of scintillating red lights.

You’ll find the cover and track list for “blue”, as well as the MV for “Sunny day” just beneath the cut.

AKB48’s Shimazaki Haruka has received criticism online after announcing her dreams of voicing a character in a film from famed animation studio Studio Ghibli during her graduation announcement earlier this week.

On October 3rd, the announcement of her graduation was made during a press conference for the upcoming CM of Baitoru NEXT, Japan’s largest portal for finding part-time work

During the talk segment, the singer spoke of her aspirations to become an actress after her graduation at the end of this year. She then followed that statement with her dreams of becoming a voice actress for Studio Ghibli, with people feeling she was saying it’s as if she could just become a voice actress for the studio if an acting career didn’t work out for her.

Songstress Kana Nishino returns with the promotional video for her new single “Dear Bride”.

Described as a sweet uplifting song, the lyrics are dedicated to a close friend standing at one of the ‘turning points’ in life about to embark on her new journey as a married woman. In the video her world is grey, but as time progresses color enters her life from the flowers that surround her. By the time the last chorus hits, Kana’s world is vibrant and filled with warm fall colors.

Check it out below!

Alternative idol group BiSH has released a new PV for ‘Honto honki’. The song serves as the main promotional song for their debut major label studio album “Killer BiSH”, released today on October 5th. The highly energetic and playful PV follows the girls causing mischief around Tokyo, ending with the common weekend activity of getting paint thrown on you in an empty white room.

Watch the full video below!

On October 5, Shota Shimizu will release his new single, “My Boo.” The song is a hip hop-influenced midtempo which sees Shota experimenting with vocal effects. This use of effects carries over into the song’s video. A good portion of the clip looks like an Instagram video using a vintage-like filter. Check it out below along with more information on Shota’s new single!