7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out (Week 13, 2025)

With a large music industry such as Japan, the second largest in the world, music fans will inevitably be inundated with a profusion of good (and also less good) music from this country. It is impossible to keep track of this and write a review about it per video. But to avoid missing out on gems, it is time for a weekly list of new music videos from Japanese music acts that are definitely worth watching and need some extra focus, with an emphasis on the lesser-known names.

We are now looking back on a selection of videos released in week 13 of 2025. We sincerely hope you enjoy the new discoveries!

MUNDANE THE MENOPAUSE – NO MORE WAR

This weekend saw the release of the first album by alternative rock band MUNDANE THE MENOPAUSE, along with their very first music video of one of the tracks with a good message. The band, consisting of members with experience in several other bands and quite a bit of life experience, has a band sound that is hard to place in one genre as they like to combine elements of different musical styles. For simplicity, we’ll stick with alternative rock. Formed in the summer of 2022 and active in Saga and Fukuoka prefectures, the band positions itself as an alternative rock band focused on expressing their everyday reality. — Recommended by Francisca

kolks – ACTOR

It has been several years since we last put this indie rock band in the spotlight. Considering they have published a brand-new music video this week, it is interesting to see what the band has been up to in the meantime. After releasing their first mini-album in January 2022, which was well received by music fans, the dream pop band, led by vocalist and guitarist Atsushi Kuge, has mostly been focused on live performances. In the past year, the band also released another digital single, with ACTOR being the first digital single of this year. In addition, drummer Natsuko joined the band this month, making kolks a three-piece now. — Recommended by Francisca

エレガンスハイツポピー (Elegance Heights Poppy) – Under This Spell

The power trio Elegance Heights Poppy will release a new EP at the start of April, the title song has received a music video to mark the occasion. The band was formed in the summer of 2019 in Yamanashi and after producing a demo and several singles, the trio released their first album in 2023, which was followed up by several singles in 2024. Now based in Tokyo, the band has created a band sound with inspired melodies that can be found in the corner of British music combined with straightforward lyrics. I am very curious to see what the next steps will be for this band. — Recommended by Francisca

Shaftray – Vela

The cynical rock band Shaftray started activities last summer and has released three singles to date, the most recent release being Vela. It started with vocalist Daito Shima, originally a singer-songwriter, when he had the idea to form a band and involved guitarist Uehara and bassist Hara. With the first single, you and die…???, the Osaka-based band immediately attracted attention, and they have been building on that ever since. Vela is the band’s first ballad and is an emotional song about death, reflecting on how life is shaped by different people and events, and how unexpected influences create precisely the most beautiful moments. — Recommended by Francisca

イクラノドン (Ikuranodon) – 白息 (Shiro iki)

Previously active as a three-piece band but now operating as a duo, the girl band Ikuranodon (or Ikura No Don) started activities in 2021. The band’s name was inspired by their love of salmon roe and dinosaurs. After doing some research, I found out that in the past year, the band has performed at several popular circuit festivals and played jam-packed venues (and it seems that they are doing the same this year as well). In that same year, they released their first EP, where they were able to capture emotional and delicate vocals that are in direct contrast to the powerful (bass) guitar sound but can still be in harmony. — Recommended by Francisca

やまみー (Yamamii) – こころ (Kokoro)

Virtual musician Yamamii continues to build his (virtual) musical universe and we are following it closely. His genuine fondness for the festive day on 31 October has led to quite a bit of Halloween-themed songs in the past few years, but in recent weeks, he has shown that he has much more to offer. He has released several music videos that don’t immediately feature grim grooves and moonlit melodies. Instead, his latest creation, Kokoro, takes you on a semi-psychedelic trip while pulling you into a catchy chorus. This song, along with two other tracks have been given a spot on his just-released ninth single, The Continue of Tyranny. — Recommended by Francisca

Blume popo – 日々凜々しい君に (She is me)

With the slogan ‘eine musik für alle und keinen’ (music for everyone and no one), the post-pop five-piece band Blume popo have been making music with indistinguishable sound since 2015. With a foundation in Japanese pop, it is easy to hear that the indie band leans heavily on alternative influences. Earlier this year, Blume popo released a new EP titled Test for Texture of Text, almost a year after the release of their EP Body Meets Dress. To date, the quintet has mainly released EPs and a few singles, but for their most recent release, the indie band shared that they experimented with one vowel group per song title (this was also done for the titles in English), following the order of a, i, u, e, and o. — Recommended by Francisca

Next week we will be back for a new list of new music videos to check out. But you can also look back to the earlier editions of this weekly article series for when you yearn for more musical gems! Want to read more about how this project started or check out the YouTube playlists? Click here for all the information.