ALBUM REVIEW: WINK
If you don’t like CHAI, you might just not like having fun. The Japanese indie-pop band’s newest project, WINK, is a burst of joy and energy that overpowers anything in its presence. It feels bigger than life and takes over your emotions for a full 35 minutes. WINK is a welcoming and warm listen that envelops you in CHAI’s unique blend of pop, rock, and R&B.
CHAI is a Japanese band from Nagoya that broke out in 2017 with their debut album PINK. Their 2019 follow-up project titled PUNK further cemented their status as indie stars. Both of these projects incorporated pop-punk guitars and thrived off the interplay between the lead singers high pitched vocals and the heavy instrumentals. WINK complexly drops the heavy instrumentals, opening the album up for more vocal experimentation and lyrical subtleties. While the pop-punk guitars on their previous two records were fun, they always felt a bit gimmicky. Now with the guitars gone, CHAI can make the danceable bangers that were always hidden just below the surface.
The album is linguistically split between Japanese and English. While most of the hooks and choruses are in English, the verses tend to be in Japanese. But, CHAI tend to focus much more on how words sound than their meaning. For example, on the song “ACTION,” a song about making art and loving life, the lyrics say very little individually, but sound absolutely transcendent over the instrumental. As the singers chant “A-C-T-I-O-N, hey, boy / A-C-T-I-O-N, hi, girl / A-C-T-I-O-N, hey, boy / A-C-T-I-O-N, hi, girl,” they hit every single pause, filling the songs with an infectious joy that conveys exactly what they mean without needing any explicit reference.
Every track on this project evokes a similar feeling of bliss. This feeling is crafted in the interaction between the band members and the varied instrumental palette of the project. The song “It’s Vitamin C” is the perfect example, as it feels like the band is completely in sync like they have been playing together for decades and can anticipate each other’s next move. They alternate gliding vocals over piano flourishes, and a constantly shifting backdrop that pivots from punk to R&B to hip-hop at a dizzying pace.
Even in the band’s more traditional pop songs, like “Wish Upon a Star” they mix in enough experimentation to keep it exciting for the listener. “Wish Upon a Star” starts with very restrained vocals, but there is a subtle shift around the time of the chorus. The lead singer breaks out of her traditional vocal range, and although it’s subtle, she sounds strained and off-key at the beginning of the chorus. The other singers then jump to reign the song in and it goes back to its boppy comfortability. Even in the album’s simplest songs, the band keeps the punk attitude of not caring whether or not they’re precisely where the listener expects them to be.
WINK is a titanic shift for the band. CHAI effectively abandoned the style that they were known for and went in a completely different direction. It’s hard to imagine a single song from WINK being on any of their previous albums, and that shows and incredible bravery and dedication to their craft. CHAI has shown that they are willing to do whatever it takes to push their own boundaries. WINK proves that CHAI excels at any style they try.