Watch The Animated Video For Duran Duran’s ‘More Joy!’ Ft. CHAI
Duran Duran have teamed up with the Japanese experimental pop band CHAI for their latest single More Joy!, which is now accompanied by a new animated music video directed by Melissa Ladybug, which you can watch below.
This single will be featured on the band’s upcoming studio album Future Past, due out on 22 October. Duran Duran previously released Five Years in January 2021 and now More Joy! hosts many nods to traditional Japanese character, with a rogue like character adventuring through different parts of Japan on a train alongside a red dragon and a magical girl. Throughout their journey they encounter ghouls, robots and girl pop bands, while exploring futuristic cities and psychedelic country sides.
This eclectic aesthetic fits well with the genre-bending style of its music, as Duran Duran bring their new wave sensibilities alongside CHAI’s intoxicating pop style. The synths are reminiscent of classic Yellow Magic Orchestra, while the anthemic chorus hosts more modern pop sensibilities.
“It was such an unusual piece we weren’t quite sure if it would fit in at first. It reminded me of one of those retro Japanese video games, which I always found quite uplifting,” keyboard player Nick Rhodes explained in a press statement. “We came up with the chant “more joy” early on, and that became the key to the rest of the track. We all agreed that it would sound really great with Japanese female voices on it, and that’s when Simon [Le Bon] had the inspired idea to ask CHAI if they would possibly collaborate with us.”
Talking to NME recently, Simon Le Bon enthused about the energy that CHAI had brought to the recording: “They’re a proper Japanese punk band and we had this really great piece of music with quite quirky lyrics and a great chant at the end of it,” said Le Bon. “I sounded OK when we sang it, but it really needed something else and we approached CHAI. They recorded in Tokyo and I had this live link for the whole recording to give direction. What they’ve added is a sizzling youthfulness that us geezers who have been in Duran Duran for forty odd years need a bit more of.”