Koi-senu Futari, the forthcoming romantic-dramedy series from Japan public broadcaster NHK, has its theme song, courtesy of CHAI. Released Thursday on Sub Pop, “WHOLE” would have fit right in on WINK, the quartet’s acclaimed third LP, which we recently named one of 2021’s best pop albums.
CHAI—identical twins MANA (lead vocals and keys) and KANA (guitar), drummer YUNA, and bassist-lyricist YUUKI—reunited with their Wink Together (a WINK companion EP, released in December) collaborator, San Diego-based producer Scoobert Doobert, for “WHOLE.” The track pairs luminous J-POP with ‘90s Japanese TV drama score influences and lyrics inspired by Koi-senu Futari (rough translation: “Two people who are not in love”) itself, the story of an aromantic, asexual couple.
“Sometimes, no one empathizes with you. But is that really a bad thing? I don’t want to make my thing, or someone else’s thing, something to be ashamed of,” YUUKI says of “WHOLE” in a statement. “Because our ‘differences’ may not be our enemies. I wish we could love each other’s little differences and little similarities entirely—that’s the hope behind this song.”
CHAI kick off their Wink Together tour in North America next month before supporting Mitski for a series of sold-out shows.
Listen to “WHOLE” and see CHAI’s tour dates below.
CHAI Tour Dates:
February
04 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
05 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
06 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
09 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
11 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
13 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
17 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * – SOLD OUT
18 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz * – SOLD OUT
19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * – SOLD OUT
21 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * – SOLD OUT
22 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre * – SOLD OUT
24 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Outside Lawn) * – SOLD OUT
25 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory * – SOLD OUT
26 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater * – SOLD OUT
28 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * – SOLD OUT
March
02 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * – SOLD OUT
03 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * – SOLD OUT
04 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * – SOLD OUT
05 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * – SOLD OUT
07 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall * – SOLD OUT
09 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * – SOLD OUT
10 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * – SOLD OUT
12 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
13 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
15- San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
(* – supporting Mitski)