With wink, the ‘neo-kawaii’ jap 4-piece has made the ultimate consolation album, but it tackles vital issues too.
Winking is a versatile little form of non-verbal conversation, with a meaning that oscillates between cultures and contexts. Every so often, it’s an affectionate gesture, an invitation to flirt; other instances. It signals a comic story or some tongue-in-cheek deception.
For jap rock band chai, the wink is an indication of clean-breezy self-assuredness. And that they‘ve in no way sounded more positive of themselves than on their bubbling new album, the aptly-titled wink.
Shaped in 2012 and composed of four buddies (dual sisters mana and kana, lead singer/keyboardist and guitarist. Respectively; drummer yuna; and bassist yuuki) over the past near-decade chai has labored to dismantle. The restrictive conformities surrounding ‘kawaii’ lifestyle in japan, reshaping it into something more inclusive (a concept they consult with as “neo-kawaii”).
They’ve additionally inspired themselves, as well as listeners, to lean into radical self-love: on their first album, 2017’s purple. The institution laid out their their musical manifesto – to turn out to be more assured. And own their individualism inside the process And on their 2019 sophomore effort, punk, they recommended their fanatics to embody their very own flawlessly imperfect quirks and eccentricities.
For their third document, which turned into recorded at the peak of the coronavirus lockdown. The nagoya-fashioned dance-punk foursome set out to craft the ultimate comfort album. With a twist.
Drawing sonic thought from electronica and r&b, the result is a sugar-dusted sense-exact album that features chai’s most sit back. Playful songs to this point. But as irreverent as the tune sounds. The band’s messaging is complicated as ever, with lyrical themes that discover the rejection of current beauty requirements (“maybe chocolate chips”); embrace one’s goals and autonomy (“donuts mind if. And bring in the electricity of protest in the face of social injustice (“motion”).
In line with chai, wink has two meanings. “the first that means is ready self-love. A person who winks is a person who’s assured, who’s flexible, who is free. She’s doing it due to the fact she wants to,” mana tells dazed over a delightfully chaotic zoom name. “
Winking is every other form of smiling at somebody, whilst being so confident in yourself that you’re now not worried approximately the opposite character’s response. We need to be the same way. We try to be women who can wink at any individual and experience free, and not need to worry about being judged.”