CHAI

by CHAI

Overview

Many artists have made music during the late 2010s and early 2020s that shows the influence of the city pop sound, a smooth and tuneful blend of bubbling R&B, smooth soft rock, slick jazz, and very melodic pop made popular in Japan during the 1980s. Very few are as well qualified as CHAI, since unlike most of the revivalists, the foursome are Japanese. Their fun and frolicsome take on the sound on 2023's self-titled album fits well with the music they have previously made, especially on Wink, which dialed back the guitars of their early work in favor of synths. The sound they get on CHAI is very similar to that album, only it removes all traces of contemporary chart pop in favor of a shiny, retro approach. Of course, CHAI being CHAI, they imbue their city pop with a healthy dose of giddy energy along with loads of non-preachy empowerment, dancefloor-filling rhythms, and shouted choruses. Along with the traditional elements of city pop, they make room for post-punk workouts ("GAME"), a new wave rocker the B-52s would have been happy to call their own ("We the Female!"), and, in a rare case of modernism, sneak in some trap beats on a slinky late-night jam ("MATCHA"). The tracks where CHAI stick closer to the city pop template work just as well as the past-present hybrids; they show off a newfound skill at late-night funk on the warmly percolating "PARA PARA," creep up on Italo disco on "LIKE, I NEED," and show off a pleasing familiarity with synth bass-driven soft rock on "Driving22." This is an extremely well-conceived and well-made album that feels like a natural progression that combines the punky good times of the band's first two LPs and the expanded world-building of Wink. It shows that the sky is the limit for CHAI, and as long as they make records as carefree and positively joyful as this, they will always be worth checking out. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	09/22/2023
Label:	Sub Pop
UPC:	0098787158540

Tracks

1. MATCHA
2. From 1992
3. PARA PARA
4. GAME
5. We the Female!
6. NEO KAWAII, K?
7. I Can't Organizeeee
8. Driving22
9. LIKE, I NEED
10. KARAOKE

Album Credits

Performance Credits

CHAI   Primary Artist
Yuna   Drums,Vocals,Percussion,Choir/Chorus
Mathias Tjonn   Guitar (Synthesizer),Guitar,Synthesizer,Guitar (Electric)
BIGYUKI   Keyboards
Alex Mackay   Guitar,Synthesizer,Guitar (Synthesizer)
Paul Wilson   Bass,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Yuuki   Bass,Vocals,Choir/Chorus
Kana   Guitar,Vocals
Mana   Vocals,Keyboards
Masayuki Hirano   Bass,Keyboards,Synthesizer Bass
Collin Davis   Bass

Technical Credits

Jesse Singer   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Chris Soper   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Yuuki   Art Direction,Design,Composer,Lyricist
Alex Mackay   Arranger,Producer
Paul Wilson   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming,Additional Production
Yuna   Composer
Kana   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Mana   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer
CHAI   Arranger
Febe Esquerra   Engineer
Yoshio Nakaiso   Photography
Reuben Cainer   Producer,Additional Production
Masayuki Hirano   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Collin Davis   Engineer
Chris Wang   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Alex DeTurk   Audio Master,Mastering Engineer
Jake Lummus   Engineer
Ryu Takahashi   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming,Sound Production
Mathias Tjonn   Arranger,Composer,Producer