Chai - PUNK

Pitchfork 83

The Japanese quartet devote their second album to enthusiastic, maximalist pop with a bluntly feminist message.

The Guardian 80

(Heavenly)
The Japanese quartet’s second album amplifies the synth-pop and reframes empowerment: it’s a delight

Empowerment has become a dead-eyed concept, more commonly employed to sell women the things that sustain their insecurities in the first place rather than imbuing them with any sense of fortitude. On their second album, Japanese four-piece Chai reclaim the idea and rebuke the industries that appropriated it under the guise of selling hair products and kawaii (cute) beauty standards. They bring to mind the Go-Go’s playing in a vast games arcade: their weapons are aggressive optimism, brawny low-end, harebrained energy and inviting gang vocals that invite anyone who feels the same way to become a “family member” or join them on a “curly adventure”, to list two of the endearing English phrases that leap from their predominantly Japanese lyrics.