With their self-titled album the Japanese four-piece draws inspiration from their heritage while boldly dancing forward
CHAI have been spreading their playful brand of disco meets punk since they released their debut ‘Pink’ back in 2017. They kept that frenetic momentum going with 2019’s ’Punk’, just before taking a quick turn from their rock propensities, leaning into comfortable pop on 2021’s ‘Wink’. Now, with their fourth album and second on Sub Pop, the Japanese foursome return to their roots, with lead vocalist Mana sharing in the album bio that “everything reflected in the lyrics expresses our experience as Japanese women”. The self-titled LP is tied tightly to the band’s adopted battle cry, the phrase “Neo Kawaii” they often scream into the mic to the delight of fans at shows, a phrase they see as a rallying cry against oppressive societally prescribed beauty standards not only in Japan but across the globe.
The band’s latest offering is an intentional ode to city pop, a Tokyo-born genre from the ’70s and ’80s which mixes jazz, boogie, yacht rock and funk, all with the goal of digging into their heritage and identity filtered through a Western sonic lens. The result isn’t at all dated go, as the quartet revel in modern beats, swirling soulful ’90s arrangements under lyrics they associate with nostalgia. Opening track ‘Matcha’ does this well, as they harmonize over wide-spanning bridges, comparing the meditative process of making the green-hued tea to their own desire to understand themselves better.
In the album’s lead single, ‘Para Para’ the band again pay homage to Japan, this time with a track about the popular two-step dance that took over Japan in the ’90s. The funky, brisk track drills in on having a good time, with CHAI showing off R&B registers as they beckon listeners to “party into the night”. The groove-heavy track embodies the overall ethos of the album well, a message of optimism that’s also present in the band’s track ‘Game’. In the new wave track, the band sings over synth keys and trickling percussion, all with the goal of urging listeners to move forward in life with joy and passion, winking, “you haven’t seen the best of me yet” before a funky instrumental break.
CHAI doesn’t just live in the past. In the bubbling, ‘Driving22’, where the band slows down their tempo over glittery synth keys, they sing about driving around foreign cities on tour, singing lovingly about imperfect sing-alongs and fans from around the world. Even when they sing directly about touring or dance moves, the real message of the album, one of arriving at your destination no matter what, shines through. With little allegiance to one particular sound, expansive love for their heritage and bold statements in each track, ‘Chai’ is a bright declaration from a band forging their own sonic path forward all while acknowledging where they came from.
Details
- Release date: September 22, 2023
- Record label: Sub Pop
REVIEWS
yeule – ‘softscars’ review: operating miles ahead of their peers
The Singaporean-born, LA-based artist’s third album sheds the high-concept for humanity
It’s impressive how yeule, real name Nat ?miel, has become one of the boldest voices in hyperpop given the genre’s boundary-breaking standard. Their 2022 album ‘Glitch Princess’ garnered critical acclaim as they documented their growing derealisation, body dysmorphia and drug use. It was a somewhat uneven record, oscillating between soft emo-pop standouts like ‘Don’t Be So Hard On Your Beauty’ and ending on a surprising four-hour ambient track; clearly not for the weak of heart. On ‘soft scars’, yeule trades hits and misses for refined, focussed swings in a project that confronts their humanity in beautifully unexpected ways.
The traumatic overdose and death of a close friend diffuses through the entire record, and it has clearly changed yeule in ways both philosophical and artistic. That’s evident in the opening track ‘x w x’, which lures you in with its music box intro then explodes into a chorus of raging shoegaze guitars. Yeule’s typically soft, breathy voice descends into tormented screaming as they admit defeat: “Soft scars on my skin/Silicone, porcelain/I’m not one of them/Love you ‘till the end”.
Yeule continues to experiment with ’90s-inspired guitar tones through the lens of their posthuman identity, avoiding straightforward nostalgic revivalism. There’s the sludgy guitar tones cutting across yeule’s fragmented AutoTune on ‘dazies’, whilst the Pixies-inflected fuzz on ‘software update’ complements their equally unstable mind. Perhaps the eeriest track is ‘ghosts’, whose gentle acoustic strums soundtrack yeule at a disturbing nadir in the record: “If you held a gun to my head/I’ll laugh instead.”
The most engaging performances they give on ‘soft scars’ are found in its most explicitly electronic tracks. ‘Inferno’, a bouncing slow burn with plucky, nocturnal synths, sees yeule pledge their undying love in hushed, intimate whispers. Album highlight and title track ‘softscars’ is pure synthpop recalling influences like M83 or Porter Robinson, as they chant the devastating process of dealing with grief: “I can’t love you like you love me babe, soft scars”.
The album doesn’t always stick the landing; the grandiose ‘cyber meat/vampy’ is undercut by a touching acoustic number whose entire title is based on a tacky Aphex Twin pun. Nevertheless, it’s an impressive step-up from an artist who was already operating miles ahead of their peers. ‘soft scars’ can be an emotionally excruciating experience, but it finds yeule connecting with their humanity in ways that seemed impossible just one year ago.
Details
- Release date: September 22, 2023
- Record label: Ninja Tune
