Wink

by CHAI

Overview

On their first two albums, the Japanese band CHAI made a splash with their uptempo Day-Glo dance-punk sound that came complete with shouty vocals and jagged guitars. Creeping around the edges, though, were a couple of tracks here and there that dialed down the guitar noise, slackened the tempos, and let a little soft smoothness in through the side door. On their third album, 2021's Wink, the foursome throw the door wide open to sleek modern pop sounds and show off a deep love and understanding of downtempo R&B, skittery electro-funk, stadium hip-hop, and '70s-inspired soft disco. Casting aside guitars for the most part, bringing in all manner of squelchy synths, and digging deep into the grooves, the band come up with something just as fun and fresh as their previous albums despite the radical sonic alterations. It's not much of a shock that they pull it off. CHAI have always sounded like they had the imagination and skill to play just about any style and do it with unfiltered joy. Wink is filled with all of those things and feels like a huge step forward for the group. As always, the songs are super-catchy and fun; this time the production is just as impressive. The lack of guitars is more than made up for with nimble keyboard work, bubbling bass playing, and snappy drumming (and programming). They tackle a wide range of grooves and crush them all, whether they are laid-back and sleepy ("KARAAGE"), happily fractured ("ACTION"), sweet and slow ("Wish Upon a Star"), or straight out of Katamari Damacy (the YMCK-assisted 8-bit jam "PING PONG"). The vocals are more nuanced this time around, approaching previous levels of unbridled fever pitch very rarely. Instead, they go in for understated crooning, whispery sweetness (especially on "Maybe Chocolate Chips"), a fun blend of chirpiness and swagger (evident on the Mndsgn-produced "IN PINK"), and on sophisticated songs like "Miracle" and "In Vitamin C," CHAI prove they don't have to shout to make an impression. Wink has the feel of a band exploring what they can do as musicians, really stretching and seeing if their skills will translate to a new sound and approach. One quick spin through the album is proof enough that they've succeeded; further listens will reinforce that impression and lead to hours of enjoyment. A different kind of enjoyment than in the past, but just as good. Maybe even better. The only CHAI fans whose mileage may vary are those who need to hear the sound of guitars to be happy; otherwise, there's no reason for anyone not to embrace this pop gem just as tightly as they did the band's first two albums. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	05/21/2021
Label:	Sub Pop
UPC:	0098787142013
Rank:	22707

Tracks

1. Donuts Mind If I Do
2. Maybe Chocolate Chips
3. ACTION
4. END
5. PING PONG!
6. Nobody Knows We Are Fun
7. It's Vitamin C
8. IN PINK
9. KARAAGE
10. Miracle
11. Wish Upon a Star
12. Salty

Album Credits

Performance Credits

CHAI   Primary Artist
YMCK   Featured Artist
Mndsgn   Vocals,Featured Artist
Ryu Takahashi   Director
Sota Tomura   Director
Yuuki   Bass,Choir/Chorus
Yuna   Drums,Choir/Chorus
Kana   Guitar,Vocals
Mana   Vocals,Keyboards
Ric Wilson   Vocals,Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Greg Calbi   Mastering Engineer
YMCK   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Daniel Schlett   Mixing
Jesse Singer   Mixing
Chris Soper   Mixing
Shu Imamoto   Mixing,Engineer
Reuben Cainer   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Masayuki Hirano   Composer
Mndsgn   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Ryu Takahashi   Producer,Sound Production
Mathias Tjonn   Arranger,Producer
Chris Maier   Producer
BIGYUKI   Arranger,Producer
Alex Mackay   Arranger,Producer
Paul Wilson   Mixing
Yuuki   Lyricist,Group Member
Yuna   Composer,Group Member
Kana   Composer,Group Member
Mana   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
CHAI   Artwork,Arranger,Producer,Art Direction
Ric Wilson   Lyricist
Haru   Design
Yoshio Nakaiso   Photography
Dar Ishikawa   A&R,Producer