WINK - Chai: Review
CHAI
are a Japanese pop rock group who have been around since 2015 and are now on their 3rd album. The group delivers a distinct blend of J-Pop fused with rock instrumentation and occasionally other genres blended in as well to craft an unpredictable and unconventional sound.
Review By Lav:
Time for another round of Chai. The band first impressed me a while ago with singles that shows off how they were interpreting unique rock elements into their sound. Unfortunately I've never been in love with one of their full length albums. The issues I've had largely deal with songwriting quirks that deny these refreshing genre fusions their full potential. Once again on Wink the band delivers compelling sounds and tons of personality, but the songwriting, particularly on the hooks, still leave a lot to be desired.
Half of the tracks on the record were released as singles but generally speaking I didn't find them to be consistently better or worse than any of the records deep cuts are. The best tracks on here come from great songwriting, the record is sonically diverse throughout with some notable highlights, but too many of its interesting ideas can fall short compositionally. END is probably the best example of both working well with driving rock instrumentation in the background that mixes with some great refrains from the girls. It almost has an early hip hop flare to is as they sing over these driving street drums and I like it all a lot. It's Vitamin C is a fun track with one of the best hooks on the record. I love the bouncy vocal refrains and the songs fun energy that pierces for the hazy exterior of the instrumental.
The opening track Donuts Mind If I Do is another fun track that reminds me a ton of Kali Uchis with its watery rich instrumentation. It's sweet and dreamy and while it could be a bit more catchy the sonic aesthetic is clearly working. Nobody Knows We Are Fun is similarly dreamy in its sound with an instrumental highlighted by a versatile array of percussion. It's sugary with some occasionally hooky songwriting. In Pink is a groovy R&B flavored pop cut highlighted by a sensual feature. The vocal performances are some of the most forward and charming on the record and it makes the song a lot more memorable. While there isn't anything here I've never heard before it is very pleasant while on.
The records final two tracks are its most reserved and breezy, while they aren't necessarily highlights they are certainly pleasant on the ears, a description that can apply to much of the record. Maybe Chocolate Chips is basically a 24/7 lo-fi hip hop beats to study to track. Not only from the Ric Wilson feature that sounds like a slightly less interesting Saba, but also with the rattling spacious instrumental. I do think the song is cute with its chocolate themes but once again the refrains are underwritten.
The back end of the record has a few solid tracks that suffer from inconsistent mixing. Karaage is one of the most vocally reserved tracks here with the singing barely ever rising above a whisper. While the pseudo ballad format of the song may have been fit for that the instrumental is piercingly loud over everything. The synths are just as loud as anything on any other track here and it makes it pretty difficult to hone in one the nuances. Similarly Miracle is a summer cut with a memorable guitar lick. This time around it's the vocals that are absolutely destroying the mix with the earth shattering high pitched notes ruining what is otherwise a track with pretty smooth demeanor.
Action sort of sounds like runway music with its electronic flare and rigid instrumental loop. The vocals really don't live up to it since they're so often smothered by the instrumental. Even when they're isolated it is far from the best vocals I've ever heard on a record like this. Finally there's Ping Pong probably the most forgettable song of the entire bunch. It has a cute electro pop instrumental with some cute samples splashed in but there is nothing actually catchy or memorable about the track itself.
Once again I see individual moments of a Chai record as both particularly memorable and particularly impressive, but when I zoom out and look at the entire project it is massively inconsistent. On top of that I am really not seeing the band expanding into any territory that they haven't previously covered, or that other bands aren't already exploring. I don't necessarily love or hate the record but it once again leaves me hoping that Chai will go on to live up to their full potential sometime soon. 5.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
I don't mind this cover. It reminds me of some early 2010's covers and the makeup and styling is done well. I think this suffers from bad composition it would have been so much better if they either zoomed in or zoomed out. The colors are nice and muted and I enjoy the thin font of the words. 6/10
For more pop check out my review of Ashnikko's DemiDevil here
