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The Japanese quartet CHAI excavate joy from every crevice of life: a ping pong match, a box of donuts, the moles on your faceânothing is spared from their ecstatic gaze. Their first two releases, 2019âs
PUNK and 2017âs
PINK, radiated positivity and playfulness, while also challenging the pressure they felt as young Japanese women to be seen as cute all the time. At their live performances, they wore avante-garde matching outfits and performed effusive, blocky choreography, and their songs channeled the same energy: loud affirmations and saccharine hooks that erupted from hectic arrangements and kinetic riffs.
But last year, when the pandemic forced them to stop touring and stay in, CHAI slowed down, adopted new hobbies like pottery and a dog-themed Instagram account, and decided to make the kind of music they enjoy listening to at home. The band members exchanged music via Zoom, worked for the first time with outside producers (Mndsgn and YMCK), and listened to a lot of rap and R&B. Theyâve citedMac Millerâs gingerly optimistic song âGood Newsâ as inspiration for their songwriting, and the influence is clear: