CHAI announce new self-titled album, share new single ‘PARA PARA’

Japanese punk band CHAI have announced a new self-titled album, due for release in September.

• READ MORE: CHAI – ‘WINK’ review: punks go pop with healing third album

The band announced the upcoming album yesterday (June 14), confirming in the process that it is set to arrive on September 22 via Sub Pop/Sony Music. “We made this self-titled album in the hopes that it will give everyone just a little more confidence in living how they want to live,” the band wrote in their announcement post.

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A post shared by CHAI (@chaiofficialjpn)

‘CHAI’ is also previewed by a new single ‘PARA PARA’, which comes with an accompanying music video. The track – and it’s retro-themed music video – was inspired by the para para two-step dance craze of the ’90s in Japan.

“As long as you can feel the 2step, any dance is possible! Let your body just move to your dancing heart. The 2step dance that you feel, we call it PARA PARA. When your body moves to the beat of your heart, you’ll realize that the world is smaller than you think, and all your problems at easier than they seem. ‘Cause 2step and music is the best way to communicate in this world,” the band wrote of the song in the video’s description.

Besides announcing their upcoming album and new single, CHAI have also shared the album’s cover and tracklist, which you can find in full below.

The tracklist for ‘CHAI’ is:

1. ‘MATCHA’
2. ‘From 1992’
3. ‘PARA PARA’
4. ‘GAME’
5. ‘We The Female!’
6. ‘NEO KAWAII, K?’
7. ‘I Can’t Organizeeee’
8. ‘Driving22’
9. ‘LIKE, I NEED’
10. ‘KARAOKE’

CHAI have also announced a tour of North America, which will kick off this September and will see the band perform across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Brooklyn and more. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 16 at 10am. local time via Ticketmaster.

CHAI’s 2023 North America tour dates are:

September 23 – Boise, ID – Flipside Festival
September 24 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
September 25 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
September 27 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
September 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
October 02 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
October 04 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
October 06 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw
October 08 – Boston, MA – Crystal Ballroom
October 10 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
October 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
October 13 – Mexico City, MEX – Indie Rocks!

CHAI’s most recent album, 2021’s ‘WINK!’ scored a four-star review from NME‘s Rhian Daly, who wrote: “CHAI’s latest album might arrive just as the world begins to open up, but it will continue to dole out reassurance and relief long after the pandemic era has finally come to an end.”

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