For future generations, ‘Plastic Love’ has become an imaginary reference point for a historical moment of extreme optimism. But now, having had one of her hit singles circulated ubiquitously online in various remixes and mashups by fans, she has become known as a figure of vaporwave meme culture. She was a best-selling legend of the bubble era, forever immortalised in the ongoing international craze for City pop music. Shortly beforehand, CHAI released their cover of ‘Plastic Love’, the most iconic single of chart-topping 1980s idol Mariya Takeuchi, alongside a video in which the band, dressed all in white, guide viewers across Tokyo.ĭuring the disorientating changes that rapidly unfolded in Japan’s 1980s post-war economic boom, Mariya Takeuchi’s song was a universal anthem for modern love amongst idol-obsessed youths. While known for an explosive sound and chaotic performances, amidst disruptions of the 2020 global pandemic, the band reinvented themselves through the softer melodies of their most recent release, WINK (2021). Originally based in Nagoya, the ‘neo-kawaii’ frenzy of MANA, KANA, YUUKI, and YUNA has become an international phenomenon since the releases of albums PINK (2018) and PUNK (2019). Linking back to the era, CHAI’s rendition recharges Tokyo’s urban scenery with joy. Their cover of 1980s city-pop star Mariya Takeuchi’s ‘Plastic Love’, released by Sub Pop Records in November 2020, pays tribute to a moment in Japanese pop-cultural history that was as age-defining as it was timeless.
Japanese four-piece rock band CHAI have been gaining a reputation for their self-conscious song writing, going far beyond the surfaces of bubblegum pop. The moment CHAI begin performing-with the sweetest incantations of the line ‘I’m just playing games, I’m just playing games’-listeners are electrocuted by a sugar-fuelled sense of deja vu.
Artwork for ‘Plastic Love’ Single (2020) Courtesy of Sub Pop records.
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