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Apr 28, 2021 By Mark Redfern

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. Watch it below.

CHAI collectively had this to say about the song in a press release: “We’re channeling our inner playful selves, challenging ourselves to fun, and bringing you that nostalgic-feel with this song! There’s just something about old video games that’s super cute, a little tacky, yet at the same time fancy. Something that you think is “old-school” but at the same time super refreshing. YMCK collaborated with us on this and created the ultimate 8bit World of CHAI!... The theme for ‘PING PONG’ is exactly as is, ‘ping pong.’ In Japanese culture, there’s this routine where Hot Springs or ‘onsen’ and playing PING PONG go hand in hand. When the four of us hit the hot springs, we always wear a Yukata (unlined Summer kimono), drink a cup of milk, and go right into some PING PONG! It’s very Japanese, something we don’t think exists overseas and that’s exactly what we want to share! You can hear it in the lyrics and you can feel it in the music video!”

YMCK adds: “It was our first time creating something from start to finish remotely but everything turned out amazing with each member’s character shining through!
Don’t miss this ever-so free and forever dancing world of CHAI!”

Pick up our current print issue (Issue 68) to read our exclusive interview with CHAI on WINK.

The band features Mana (lead vocals and keys), Kana (guitar), Yuna (drums), and Yuuki (bassist-lyricist).

The band previously shared the songs “ACTION,” “Donuts Mind If I Do,” and “Maybe Chocolate Chips” (featuring Ric Wilson) from WINK. “Maybe Chocolate Chips” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared another song from it, “Nobody Knows We Are Fun,” via a video for the single (which also made our Songs of the Week).

CHAI’s sophomore album, PUNK, was released in 2019 on Burger. Back in August of last year, CHAI teamed up with Spanish rock band Hinds for the joint single “United Girls Rock‘n’Roll Club.”

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