Many artists have made music during the late 2010s and early 2020s that shows the influence of the city pop sound, a smooth and tuneful blend of bubbling R&B, smooth soft rock, slick jazz, and very melodic pop made popular in Japan during the 1980s. Very few are as well qualified as
CHAI
, since unlike most of the revivalists, the foursome are Japanese. Their fun and frolicsome take on the sound on 2023's self-titled album fits well with the music they have previously made, especially on
Wink
, which dialed back the guitars of their early work in favor of synths. The sound they get on
is very similar to that album, only it removes all traces of contemporary chart pop in favor of a shiny, retro approach. Of course,
being
, they imbue their city pop with a healthy dose of giddy energy along with loads of non-preachy empowerment, dancefloor-filling rhythms, and shouted choruses. Along with the traditional elements of city pop, they make room for post-punk workouts ("GAME"), a new wave rocker
the B-52s
would have been happy to call their own ("We the Female!"), and, in a rare case of modernism, sneak in some trap beats on a slinky late-night jam ("MATCHA"). The tracks where
stick closer to the city pop template work just as well as the past-present hybrids; they show off a newfound skill at late-night funk on the warmly percolating "PARA PARA," creep up on Italo disco on "LIKE, I NEED," and show off a pleasing familiarity with synth bass-driven soft rock on "Driving22." This is an extremely well-conceived and well-made album that feels like a natural progression that combines the punky good times of the band's first two LPs and the expanded world-building of
. It shows that the sky is the limit for
, and as long as they make records as carefree and positively joyful as this, they will always be worth checking out. ~ Tim Sendra