Wink is the third studio album by Japanese rock quartet Chai, released on May 21, 2021. It is their first record on Sub Pop, following two albums on the now-defunct Burger Records.
| Wink | ||||
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| Released | May 21, 2021 | |||
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| Length | 34:53 | |||
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| Singles from Wink | ||||
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Wink was greeted with critical applause upon its release, with praise going to its contemplative nature and the quartet's success at a new musical palette, which brought in funk, hip hop and R&B sounds.
Composition
editWink has been noted for adding hip hop and R&B alongside the quartet's signature dance-punk and pop rock.[2][3][4] Many publications echoed this positively, with many finding funk, house, pop and soul stylings woven throughout as well.[4][5]
It has been noted as "all analogue R&B and garage punk with a rap verse".[3]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10[6] |
| Metacritic | 80/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Beats Per Minute | 79%[9] |
| DIY |  [10] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[11] |
| Gigwise | 9/10[12] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[13] |
| Our Culture Mag | [14] |
| Paste | 7.8/10[15] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10[16] |
| The Skinny | [17] |
Wink received acclaim from music critics. On Metacritic, it has received a score of 80 out of 100, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
Tara Joshi for The Quietus applauded it as their "most comforting listen to date".[18] Clare Martin for Paste called it "fun and filling" and noted the quartet made "every moment feel like a treat".[15] The album was placed at number 47 in The Guardian's list of the 50 best albums of 2021, with Laura Snapes describing it as "blissed-out, dreamy synth-pop".[19]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Donuts Mind If I Do" | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Maybe Chocolate Chips" (featuring Ric Wilson) | 2:53 |
| 3. | "Action" | 3:23 |
| 4. | "End" | 2:15 |
| 5. | "Ping Pong!" (featuring YMCK) | 3:16 |
| 6. | "Nobody Knows We Are Fun" | 3:01 |
| 7. | "It's Vitamin C" | 2:49 |
| 8. | "In Pink" (featuring Mndsgn) | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Karaage" | 3:11 |
| 10. | "Miracle" | 2:37 |
| 11. | "Wish Upon a Star" | 2:47 |
| 12. | "Salty" | 1:08 |
| Total length: | 34:53 | |
Personnel
editChai
- Mana – vocals, keyboards
- Kana – vocals, guitar
- Yuuki – bass, choir/chorus
- Yuna – drums, choir/chorus
References
edit- ^ "WINK by CHAI - Credits | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c "WINK by CHAI | Bandcamp". chaioffical.bandcamp.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Gatward, Tristan (May 17, 2021). "CHAI - WINK - Album Review | Loud and Quiet". loudandquiet.com. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Moody, Mark (May 21, 2021). "CHAI: WINK (Sub Pop) - review | Under the Radar". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ Daly, Rhian (May 17, 2021). "CHAI – 'WINK' review: punks go pop with healing third album | NME". nme.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ "WINK by CHAI reviews | AnyDecentMusic?". anydecentmusic.com. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Wink | Metacritic". metacritic.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Wink - CHAI | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ McMullen, Chase (May 24, 2021). "Album Review: CHAI - WINK | Beats Per Minute". beatsperminute.com. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ Wright, Lisa. "CHAI - WINK | DIY". diymag.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Fink, Adam (May 17, 2021). "CHAI Add Contemplation to Their Manic Sweetness on 'WINK' | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Vincent, Jack (May 20, 2021). "Album Review: CHAI - Wink | Gigwise". gigwise.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Kuscher, Oliver. "WINK is CHAI channeling the energy of a slow year into their fast paced formula | The Line of Best Fit". thelineofbestfit.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (May 25, 2021). "Album Review: CHAI, 'WINK' | Our Culture Mag". ourculturemag.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ a b Martin, Clare (May 19, 2021). "CHAI: 'WINK' Album Review | Paste Magazine". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Jagota, Vrinda (May 24, 2021). "CHAI: WINK Album Review | Pitchfork Media". pitchfork.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Wade, Lewis (May 19, 2021). "CHAI album review: WINK | The Skinny". theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Joshi, Tara (May 20, 2021). "On The Blink: WINK By CHAI | The Quietus". thequietus.com. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (17 December 2021). "The 50 best albums of 2021". theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.