Meanwhile, as the new flag-bearers of Japanese pop music, CHAI’s rendition shows a self-awareness towards the band’s own position in cultural phenomena by forming connections through time. 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. Those interested in checking out the upcoming cover, pre-orders are now live via iTunes, here.Artwork for ‘Plastic Love’ Single (2020) Courtesy of Sub Pop records. Set to release digitally on January 23, I’m honestly pretty excited to see just what Tofubeats is able to introduce in his cover of “Plastic Love”, as well as how both domestic and international listeners will react.
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With all of Tofubeats’ album releases peaking within the top 20 on the Oricon Charts, it’s likely that his flare might be just what the song needs to crack into mainstream appeal. While “Plastic Love” was far from Mariya Takeuchi’s most recognizable song at the time of its release, peaking only at #86 on the Oricon Charts, it’ll prove interesting to see just how open Japan is to the recently appreciated gem in 2019.
While there’s still about a week before we can actually listen to his cover of “Plastic Love”, Tofubeats wasted no time in uploading his own edit of the cover to Soundcloud, citing his usual House-driven sounds mixed in with Future Funk elements as the basis for the edit. Given the fact that Tofubeats is signed to Warner Music Japan, the surprise of the announcement is pretty offset by the fact that it just makes so much sense for him to pursue the rights to cover the song, with Mariya Takeuchi having signed to the major label all the way back in 1998. Whether this is in direct reaction to this, or it’s something that he’s been wanting to do for quite some time, Kobe-based producer Tofubeats today announced his official cover of “Plastic Love” which is set to release on January 23. The song is considered by many international onlookers to be the holy grail of the micro-genre, with both re-uploads of the original song and unofficial edits garnering millions of views on YouTube. It’s no small secret that Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love” has received a massive amount of attention internationally, something that’s in no small part thanks to the songs early introduction into the Future Funk scene and the renewed interest in Japanese City Pop that occurred as a direct result.
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