The Japanese quartet
CHAI made a big splash with their giddy, genre-splicing debut album
Pink, and while their follow-up
Punk lacks the element of surprise that made
Pink so exciting, it's still joyous and thrilling pop music.
CHAI reigned in some of the anything-goes approach of
Pink here, casting aside some of the rap-rock influences and adding some production sheen to the mixes. That said, this is still exuberant music made by women who aren't willing to stay in their lane. If they want to throw heavy metal guitar grind into a synth pop ballad ("Curly Adventure") they will. If they feel like writing a revved-up ode to housework with jumbled samples and a frenetic, pulsating rhythm ("Good Job"), it's happening. They take on rubbery funk ("Fashionista"), happily corny handbag house ("This Is CHAI"), sunny '90s pop ("FAMILY MEMBER"), and punchy cheerleader rock ("Choose Go!) with the same kind of energy and aplomb that they did on
Pink. Along with all the genre-hopping, there are a number of songs that settle into a kind of midtempo indie pop with synths and shouted choruses that suit them well. They dipped into it a little on
Pink; here they perfect it. Tracks like "I'm Me" and Wintime" have a calm and collected feel that allows for relaxed listening and even a little bit of melancholy, or at least a little less giddiness, to creep into the proceedings. The similarly peaceful -- for
CHAI anyway -- "Future" has a sweet, hopeful feel and almost a pop-reggae sound; "Feel the BEAT" is assured midtempo pop that isn't miles away from the mainstream of streaming pop, only the group's version of that sound has way more spirit than average. That goes for everything they try, and even though
Punk might not be the pop explosion that
Pink was, it's a well-rounded album that capitalizes on the band's imagination and capacity for experimentation while blending the sounds more organically. Plus, it's more fun than just about anything else going on in the late 2010s and that alone makes the record and the band worth checking out and falling (and staying madly) in love with. ~ Tim Sendra