One of the driving themes of CHAI’s music thus far — made all the clearer after talking to them — is inclusiveness, of celebrating the unique characteristics we all possess. “I’m Me” isn’t quite a manifesto for the four-piece — that remains the herky-jerky “N.E.O.” — but it’s definitely them at their most direct, avoiding…
#40 Parkgolf Reo Reo found Sapporro-born producer Parkgolf stepping into new territory. Mainly, he tried to bring other voices into his Technicolor world. These new additions revealed previously unseen perspectives on his style — rapper GOODMOODGOKU gets him to craft one of his breeziest beats to date on “All Eyes On You,” while working with…
CHAI have become known for their more frantic numbers, but I’m a bigger fan of the moments where they let their guard down and get a bit sentimental. “Sayonara Complex” features plenty of goofy fun, but it’s the sweetness sneaking through that really seals it for me. “Horechatta,” off the just-released debut album PINK, flashes…
“Sayonara Complex” was a slight outlier in the world of CHAI. That song — alongside its goofy, joyful video — captured the Tokyo quartet at their most earnest, the playfulness of earlier EPs making space for something slightly bittersweet, too. “N.E.O.” offers a look at CHAI at their more natural state, which is like lawful…
Plenty of Japanese bands have gone to South By Southwest, but I can’t remember one using said Texas exodus to create a video as outright charming as the one CHAI made for “Sayonara Complex.” Not sure I’ve seen anyone else in 2017 seemingly having so much fun as the quartet as they conga through a…