CLWP Records – J-Indie Rising

Whoopie is a Punkrocker feat. Stephen Harrison by CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE

Released: 22.07.06 / Label: CLWP Records

Ok, I know I’ve been doing a lot of songs with Chi- lately, but she’s been incredibly busy! And, after that last one, I think I need to hear her back in her element.

We’ve covered a CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE track recently and I loved it, Mad Doctor. You can read up on the band there if you’ve not heard about them before. Even more recently we caught the singer Chi- doing guest vocals on a track I didn’t like so much (link above). Now we get to hear CLWP bring a guest into their own track. Non other than the delightful Stephen Harrison. He’s an American guitarist who currently plays with the band Fever 333, and played previously with The Chariot. I don’t know a lot about him, but he looks incredibly badass and I’m excited to hear him play with this awesome group. Let’s get into it.

Well that was way harder than the punk rock sound I was expecting. This whole song is incredibly fun, and the amount of different sections they crammed in makes it feel way longer than it is. The guitar definitely changes the sound of the group for the better, it’s a playful band at heart so the over the top riffs fit in perfectly with the cute glitchy sounds and cheesy bass lines. And these riffs go hard. They pull the band along with them and I love where they end up. Talk about a great sound, I don’t know who did this mix, but it’s perfect in so many ways. The depth of the sounds is incredible and yet every part is perfectly audible throughout. The sound is also genre appropriate, which, given the number of genres they cycle through in this 2:22 song, is unbelievable.

I’m also really happy that they decided to go almost completely Japanese with the lyrics. I’ve had problems with the English in the past, and I feel a bit vindicated after hearing the quality we’re getting with the change here. The emotion behind the words is so clear and gives the song so much more power.

Perhaps most surprisingly of all, the only thing I could find wrong with this song is how short it is. I really hope they do a track together again. And we’ll probably be seeing CLWP again in the near future.

Verdict: Must listen (4.8/5)

★★★★★

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Mad Doctor by CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE

Single Review / Electronic, J-Pop

Released: 22.05.25 / Label: CLWP Records

I’ve never heard this group before but just by looking at the cover I’m excited to hear what they’ve got.

This mouthful of a unit, CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE (that last word is pronounced Whoopie Pie) is the solo project of leading orange-haired lady, and cover model, Chi. She’s backed by two “Whoopies” #1 and #2, who seem to be anonymous contributors. The three handle all the creative and production aspects of the music and videos, making this a truly unique indie project to be sure. Then seem almost like a Japanese version of Superorganism, but on a smaller scale. This is the title track and lead single for their second EP, and it is delightful.

The music is as crazy as you’d imagine from the cutout-style artwork featured on the cover, tons of different samples and percussive vocals create an elaborate musical tapestry for what is essentially a simple J-Pop tune. The vocal work is upbeat and infectious, and while it has a lot of repeated sections, it manages to stay interesting through some creative and masterful arranging thanks to one (or maybe both?) of the Whoopies. It also sounds great, the recording, mixing, and mastering are really well done. Given the chaotic nature of the song that’s quite an accomplishment. Good work Whoopies.

The visual side of things is also really well developed. Looking back at their previous releases, and skimming through the long list of videos on their YouTube page, it’s clear that the group has crafted a strong aesthetic that perfectly matches the music. It’s so well put together that the crazy world they create ends up feeling completely natural.

The only area that suffers at all is the lyrics. While they’re catchy, they don’t really seem to have any real meaning. They do mention the Mad Doctor coming, so there may be some element of album-wide storytelling I’m missing here. I don’t think this is a concept EP, so I’m betting they just went with something crazy and catchy. Not a bad choice, but compared to the music and visual language they’re using it just feels less developed.

Verdict: Worth your time (3.8/5)

★★★★★

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