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13 Best Songs of the Week: Art Feynman, Emma Anderson, Steven Wilson, Devendra Banhart, and More

Plus bar Italia, The National, Wings of Desire, CHAI, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Sep 22, 2023

Welcome to the 30th Songs of the Week of 2023. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Marc Abbott, Scott Dransfield, and Stephen Humphires all helped me decide what should make the list and we settled on a Top 13. More

CHAI Share Video for New Song “GAME”

CHAI Due Out This Friday via Sub Pop

Sep 20, 2023

Japanese pop four-piece, CHAI, are releasing a new self-titled album this Friday via Sub Pop. Now they have shared another song from it, “GAME,” via a music video in which the band are delivery drivers clad in pink. More

CHAI present a new single/video, “Neo Kawaii, K?”

New self-titled album out September 22nd on Sub Pop

Aug 03, 2023

Japanese pop four-piece, CHAI, have announced the release of their new single/video, “NEO KAWAII, K? More

17 Best Songs of the Last Two Weeks: The Smile, M. Ward and First Aid Kit, Slowdive, and More

Plus Faye Webster, Sigur Rós, Palehound, Strange Ranger, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Jun 23, 2023

Welcome to the 22nd Songs of the Week of 2023. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because I was out of town last Thursday to this Monday in Washington, DC, covering Awesome Con. So, this week’s Songs of the Week is supersized and incorporates tracks from the last two weeks. More

Jun 14, 2023

Japanese pop four-piece, CHAI, have announced the release of their new self-titled album and shared its latest single, “PARA PARA.” More

22 Best Songs of the Last Two Weeks: Jessie Ware, Alison Goldfrapp, Nation of Language, and More

Plus Blondshell, Girl Ray, Little Dragon, Dawn Richard, Indigo De Souza, and a Wrap-up of the Last Two Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Apr 14, 2023

Welcome to the thirteenth Songs of the Week of 2023. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because I was on a brief vacation (it was my daughter’s spring break), so this week’s list includes songs from the last two weeks. Any song first released between April 1 and April 14 was eligible. Hence we have a supersized list week—22 songs is probably the most we’ve ever had in one Songs of the Week main list, but it breaks down to 12 songs from this week and 10 from last week. More

Apr 05, 2023

Japan’s CHAI have shared a new single, “We the Female!,” via a music video. More

Aug 03, 2022

Japan’s CHAI have shared a new single, “My Dream.” More

Jul 06, 2022

Japan’s CHAI have shared a new collaborative single with Superorganism, “Hero Journey.” More

May 03, 2022

Japan’s CHAI have shared a video for their new single “Surprise.” They have also announced a new set of tour dates in support of their most recent album, WINK. More

15 Best Songs of the Week: Spiritualized, Horsegirl, Destroyer, Gruff Rhys, and More

Plus Belle and Sebastian, Sondre Lerche and CHAI, Father John Misty, Tess Parks, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Mar 11, 2022

Welcome to the tenth Songs of the Week of 2022. It was without a doubt the strongest week for new tracks so far this year. Some of our all time favorite artists put out new songs this week and there were several amazing songs that were seven or eight minutes long. There was much debate on what should make the main list and the best we could narrow it down to was a Top 15. More

Sondre Lerche Shares Video for New Song “Summer In Reverse” (Feat. CHAI) + Covers Mitski’s “Townie”

Avatars of Love Due Out April 1 via PLZ/InGrooves; His Cover of Mitski’s “Townie” is from our Covers of Covers Album

Mar 08, 2022

Norwegian-born/American-based singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche is releasing a new double album, Avatars of Love, on April 1 via PLZ/InGrooves. Now he has shared another song from it, “Summer In Reverse,” which features Japanese quartet CHAI. It was shared via a video that also features CHAI. Lerche is among the artists featured on our Covers of Covers album, which came out last Friday via American Laundromat. He covers Mitski’s “Townie.” More

CHAI Launch GoFundMe in Light of Stolen Tour Trailer

They Are Currently Touring With Mitski

Feb 28, 2022

Japan’s CHAI have launched a GoFundMe fundraiser after their trailer was stolen during the Austin stop of their current tour with Mitski. More

CHAI Share Video for Busy P Remix of “Ping Pong”

WINK TOGETHER EP Out Now via Sub Pop

Feb 02, 2022

Japan’s CHAI have shared a video for a remix of their WINK album track “Ping Pong,” done by French electronic artist Busy P. Their new remix EP, WINK TOGETHER, is out now via Sub Pop. More

CHAI Share New Single “WHOLE”

Out Now via Sub Pop

Jan 13, 2022

Japan’s CHAI have shared a new single, “WHOLE.” The single, which has been confirmed as the theme song for the new Japanese rom-com series Koi-senu Futari, was produced by Scoobert Doobert. More

Jan 07, 2022

2021 began and ended in a state of uncertainty, but was still a fruitful year for new music. Here are Under the Radar‘s 100 favorite albums from the year. More

Dec 01, 2021

Japan’s CHAI have announced the release of a new EP, WINK TOGETHER, a set of remixes of songs from the band’s most recent album, WINK. They have shared a track from the upcoming project, a remix of the song “END” done by Australian pop duo Confidence Man. More

Duran Duran Share New Song “ANNIVERSARY”

FUTURE PAST Due Out October 22 via Tape Modern for BMG

Aug 31, 2021

Duran Duran are releasing a new album, FUTURE PAST, on October 22 via Tape Modern for BMG. Now they have shared another song from it, “ANNIVERSARY.” More

CHAI Share New Song “Miniskirt”

The Latest in the Adult Swim Singles Program

Aug 26, 2021

Japan’s CHAI have shared a new song “Miniskirt,” their first new single since the May release of their most recent album, WINK, on Sub Pop. It is the latest installment in this year’s Adult Swim Singles program. More

10 Best Songs of the Week: Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, Japanese Breakfast, and More

Plus Lucy Dacus, POND, Gruff Rhys, CHAI, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

May 21, 2021

Welcome to the 19th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week there was finally a ceasefire in the latest Israeli Palestinian conflict. More

May 21, 2021

Japan’s CHAI have released a new album, WINK, today via Sub Pop. Now that it’s out, you can stream the whole thing here. Also, on Thursday we posted our new interview with CHAI and today we posted our review of the album. Plus, they have shared a new video for the album’s “In Pink,” a song that features Mndsgn. More

11 Best Songs of the Week: Jessie Ware, Kings of Convenience, Faye Webster, Piroshka, and More

Plus black midi, CHAI, Squid, Anika, Hiatus Kaiyote, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Apr 30, 2021

Welcome to the 16th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week President Biden celebrated 100 days in office with a speech to Congress that laid out his accomplishments (including a successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccines) and ambitious future plans. More

Apr 28, 2021

Japan’s CHAI are releasing a new album, WINK, on May 21 via Sub Pop. Now they have shared another song from it, “Ping Pong!,” via a music video inspired by retro 8-bit video games. The song features YMCK. More

Under the Radar Announces The Protest Issue with Japanese Breakfast and HAIM on the Covers

Issue 68 Out Now and Also Includes Julien Baker, Wolf Alice, Tegan and Sara, Arlo Parks, Fleet Foxes, Jessie Ware, Shamir, Lucy Dacus, Valerie June, David Byrne, Julian Casablancas, and Much More

Apr 21, 2021

Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our new print issue, which is out now nationwide (on newsstands, in such stores as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, and elsewhere) and available to buy directly from us here. The issue features Japanese Breakfast and HAIM on the two covers and is another edition of The Protest Issue, which examines the intersection of music and politics and features musicians photographed with protest signs of their own making. More

10 Best Songs of the Week: Mdou Moctar, Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth, St. Vincent, and More

Plus Sons of Kemet, CHAI, Storefront Church, POND, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Apr 02, 2021

Welcome to the 12th Songs of the Week of 2021. In the nation was gripped (or more accurately, traumatized) by the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd. More

Mar 31, 2021

Japan’s CHAI are releasing a new album, WINK, on May 21 via Sub Pop. Now they have shared another song from it, “Nobody Knows We Are Fun” (even the band does indeed present an image that they are quite fun), via a video for the single. More

10 Best Songs of the Week: Wolf Alice, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Bachelor, and More

Plus Flock of Dimes, Real Estate, Julien Baker, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks

Feb 26, 2021

Welcome to the seventh Songs of the Week of 2021. This week’s big music news was probably that Daft Punk had broken up. More

Feb 24, 2021

Japanese rock band CHAI have shared a video for their new single, “Maybe Chocolate Chips,” which features Chicago rapper Ric Wilson. The song will be featured on their upcoming album, WINK, set to drop on May 21 via Sub Pop. More

Jan 19, 2021

Japanese rock band CHAI have announced a new album, WINK, which will be released on May 21 via Sub Pop. This will be their third studio album and debut under Sub Pop, which they were signed to in October of last year. The band has also shared a self-directed video for the album’s lead single “ACTION.” More

Aug 21, 2020

Madrid-based Hinds and Tokyo-born CHAI have released a joint single today called “United Girls Rock‘n’Roll Club,” via Heavenly Recordings. Check out the video for the track below. More



Interviews

CHAI on “WINK”

Sweet Dreams

May 20, 2021

When the members of the Japanese four-piece band CHAI were younger they never would have imagined collaborating with their idols. Twins Mana and Kana along with high school pal, Yuna, and future friend, Yuuki, were happy just to be making their own music. But with an infectious stage show along with a message of pink positivity, friends came quickly. More


Reviews

Oct 23, 2023

Under the Radar photographer Joshua Mellin caught CHAI at Chicago’s Thalia Hall recently. Here’s a selection of his best shots from the evening. More

May 21, 2021

After a handful of runs through the United States, invariably a little American culture has started to work its way into CHAI’s repertoire. Not only that, Mana, Kana, Yuuki, and Yuna have picked up some friends along the way. More