Following up on his late 2018 major debut, singer/songwriter THE CHARM PARK has revealed that he will be releasing a new mini-album on July 3rd. This not-yet-titled release will include the singer’s ending theme for the anime “Black Clover”, “Hana ga Saku Michi”, his Sogo & Seibu “2019 Haha no Hi Test” campaign song “Stars Colliding“, and an untitled track currently being used as the CM song for Akagi Shizenen, as well as three other new songs.

Well in advance of the record’s release date, the music video for “Hana ga Saku Michi” has also been published to THE CHARM PARK’s YouTube channel. This PV, which was directed by Kanji Sutou, focuses on a performance of the track at night, aiming to evoke the idea of parallel worlds.

You’ll find the music video for “Hana ga Saku Michi” below, and look forward to further information about this release as it is made available.

Psychedelic rockers Odotte Bakari no Kuni will be releasing their latest full album “Hikari no Naka ni” next week on May 1st. Though they’ve already published PVs for both “ghost” and “weekender“, the quintet have now uploaded a music video for the record’s title track to their YouTube channel.

This video, directed by Jun Kawaguchi, features the band performing the acoustic track in an outdoor setting. Of note, the PV was shot to resemble older film recordings, the washed out color palette meant to pair with the song’s nostalgic style.

You’ll find the PV for “Hikari no Naka ni” right after the cut.

Alternative rock quartet Halo at Yojohan have announced that they will be releasing a new mini-album on June 5th. Titled “from NOVEL LAND”, this will be the group’s first release since their major debut album “swanflight” back in October and is set to include seven new tracks from the band.

Among these new songs, it’s been revealed that “Living Dead Swimmer” – the release’s second track – will be produced by Yoshiaki Dewa, who is known for his prior work with amazarashi. The release’s cover, which was shot in Chiba’s Sakura City, will also be the first to feature the group’s members.

You’ll find this cover, as well as the track list for “from NOVEL LAND” below.

We’re back with this week’s edition of Oricon Flashback! This is where we look back on what topped the charts this week 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years ago. Think of it as a way to reminisce and learn about the past of Japanese music.

As previously reported, Negoto will disband in July. Before the band calls it quits though, there will be one final release, their first best album titled “NEGOTO BEST.” Out April 24, the album will span two CDs, with the limited edition containing a Blu-ray featuring featuring band’s various music videos.

Negoto recently released a music video in support of “NEGOTO BEST.” The video features clips of the band’s music videos over the course of their career. Check it out below, along with more information on their final release!

This week’s guests were Thelma Aoyama, Ishii Tatsuya, Itsuki Hiroshi, Oizumi Itsuro, Ai Otsuka, Kawakami Daisuke, Kitajima Saburo, SHISHAMO, Suzuki Airi, Tatsumi Yuto, Tsubaki Factory, Tendo Yoshimi, Funassyi, Cherin, Flash Kaneko, and MUSIC CONCERTO.

Following a rather quiet few months, popular singer/songwriter Kenshi Yonezu has revealed that he will be performing the theme song for upcoming animated feature “Kaijuu no Kodomo”. Based on the manga of the same title, “Kaijuu no Kodomo” tells the story of a particular summer vacation where protagonist Ruka meets a pair of boys named ‘Umi’ and ‘Sora’, whose strange and unique method of swimming captures the young girl’s imagination.

The theme song will be titled “Umi no Yuurei” – “Sea’s Spectre” or “Ghost of the Sea” – and was inspired by Kenshi’s own memories of reading the manga as a teenager. Of note, this is the second time that Kenshi and mangaka Daisuke Igarashi have worked together; the former provided “Number Nine” as the image song for the “Louvre No.9” exhibit, which the latter was featured in.

Though nothing about Umi no Yuurei’s release has been confirmed as of yet, you’ll be able to hear the track when the film releases in Japan on June 7th. You can find the movie’s first trailer below, and look forward to further details about the matter as that date draws closer.

Indie rock trio The Cheserasera have announced that they will be releasing their fourth full-length album on May 8th. Titled “Maboroshi”, this will be the group’s first record since 2017’s “dry blues” and is set to include 12 brand new songs.

Ahead of the album’s release, the band have uploaded a music video for lead track “One More Time” to their YouTube channel. Additionally, they have also published a digest which previews the release’s remaining songs.

You’ll find both of these videos, plus the cover and track list for “Maboroshi” right after the cut.