Chai - Pink Clear Vinyl

Description

The Japanese group Chai enchanted the whole world in 2017 by releasing their debut album, Pink, introducing their unique playful pop. The follow-ups Punk and Wink received acclaim from music critics and artists from various backgrounds, allowing Mana (lead vocals and keyboard), Kana (guitar), Yuna (drums), and Yuuki (lyricist-bassist) to collaborate with international artists. Chai is releasing their fourth self-titled album on Sub Pop. This new collection of songs allows Chai to return to their roots, drawing inspiration from their Japanese cultural heritage. Unlike previous albums, Chai wrote their self-titled album on the road. One of the songs on the album, "Driving22," is directly inspired by the long days spent navigating the highways of foreign cities. Each Chai album aesthetically draws from specific musical movements, and on this album, the quartet wanted to make direct comparisons to city pop, a sound that originated in Tokyo and was popularized in the 70s and 80s. City pop was a Japanese version of Western lounge music, borrowing from jazz, boogie, funk, and yacht rock to create a sound straddling two cultures. It is only recently that city pop has become a pop culture phenomenon in the United States, partly thanks to TikTok and YouTube unearthing songs from artists like Tatsuro Yamashita, but for Chai, city pop was simply the music of their childhood. They enlisted their former collaborator Ryu Takahashi for production, who shared their love for city pop and eurobeat, as well as the melodies of J-pop artists like Maria Takeuchi.