The Japanese band Chai cast a spell on the world in 2017 with their debut album, Pink, a collection of songs that introduced their singular brand of playful pop. The enthusiastically feminist follow-up, Punk, raked in accolades from the music press and fellow artists.

That led to Wink, which Chai made via remote Zoom sessions, a limitation that became a strength by allowing Mana (lead vocals and keys), Kana (guitar), Yuna (drums), and Yuuki (bassist-lyricist) to collaborate with artists abroad to create a work that found catharsis in their international community.

During their post-pandemic touring, performing for enormous crowds in cities like Santiago, Buenos Aires, and So Paulo made Chai realize they had unlocked a global audience. They wrote the new record on th