The Chillies guys changed things up with disco.

The Chillies guys are taking a 'win or lose' gamble with their energetic disco music.

Leaving behind their success with easy-listening pop-rock music , the four members of Chillies challenge listeners with the familiar yet unique atmosphere of the disco genre.

The group officially marked their comeback with the MV "Gold" in early October, a song chosen as the lead single from their second album, " Kim" (released on the evening of October 16th) . Through the song, the group also clearly showed their future musical direction: the disco style (specifically, the disco-retro sound of the 1970s and 1980s).

Chillies' second album, titled Kim, was released on the evening of October 16th.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

Chillies embark on an adventure to new lands.

Undeterred by challenges and unwilling to pander to fans' tastes, the group stepped out of their comfort zone with hit songs like "Mascara," "Memory Zone," "Just Chill," and "Sun Avenue " to venture into new territory.

"From the very beginning, even before we had our own songs, we specialized in covering foreign music, but we didn't copy the originals exactly; we remade them according to our own ideas. We really like soul, disco, funky… so we often remixed international songs in this style. Currently, we want to approach music in a more 'international' way. With pop-rock, we've achieved certain successes, but we don't want to stay in that position forever. Chillies wants to do something more unique and elevate our artistic identity even more," the group shared.

Kim's album It's a nostalgic musical journey. This is a true concept album with a coherent musical structure, lyrics written with more experience over disco, funky, synth pop... Gold This is the first piece of the new journey to be released. The song has a distinct disco feel with metaphorical lyrics conveying a message of intimacy in a romantic relationship. The lyrics are inspired by Greek mythology, specifically the story of King Midas, who could turn anything into gold at the touch of his fingers. The bass guitar part by member Nhím Biển (who also produced and arranged the song) is quite prominent, with a strong, funky vibe that appears and disappears throughout the 7 tracks on the album.

Listening to the album as it is, listeners will find Chillies cleverly enticing (through the intro ) them to a vibrant party of young people, like a year-end school dance where participants are about to shed their childish exteriors and embark on a journey of adulthood, filled with experiences, pain, joy, and happiness. In this setting, participants seem to step through a "time machine," transforming into citizens of the 1970s and 1980s – a time when disco was extremely popular.

These guys are daring and willing to take risks.

Following "Intro ," the disco-retro sound is clearly affirmed in " No Regrets ," alongside the love story, the lyrics serving as the group's guiding principle. There are no hesitations in embarking on this new path. Responding to the question of whether they fear losing fans after a 180-degree change, the boys affirmed: "We are people who dare to try, dare to do, so if we don't do or change things, how will we know how the public will react? You could say we're taking a risk with this album, 'rebuilding' the group's style because we want to create something unique."

The special musical atmosphere of Kim's album preview listening session.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

Next, Chillies leads listeners to the modernity of another disco variation, synth pop, which many international artists such as Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, and Miley Cyrus are pursuing through the song "Wings ." The synthesizer effects are densely and boldly distributed throughout the mix, creating a fast-paced and satisfying listening experience. After pushing the album's atmosphere to a climax, the band somewhat calms the mood with "Lady" (the title is a wordplay on "take away" and "lady"). A heartbroken, sad song, but true to the "fiery" spirit of dance music.

With "Đi tìm" (Searching) , the band returned to their true disco-retro style, then transitioned to "Dẻ" (Easy), an easy-listening synth-pop track. Without the outstanding sounds, powerful effects, or overlapping visuals of "Đôi cánh" (Wings) , " Dẻ " is quite simple and charming, with melodies and lyrics that carry youthful life "aphorisms." Even with its gentle feel, the album's music makes listeners unable to sit still, at least prompting them to sway to the rhythm.

The four guys conclude the album with Bermuda – a truly exceptional song that lives up to the saying "save the best for last." Bermuda is also the song that the whole group unanimously voted as their favorite recording. Beyond the disco sound, the production incorporates the gentle rhythm of bossa nova and the sensual saxophone (by artist Hoang Thi), transporting listeners to the beautiful and mysterious Caribbean coasts along the Atlantic, home to the waters known as the "Bermuda Triangle." Similar to Gold , this second English-titled song also contains subtle metaphors about the sublime aspects of love.

The band concludes the album with a rather interesting and unique outro . Instead of typical music, it's... the members sharing their thoughts about the album, along with laughter and playful banter among these 30-year-olds. They're not young enough to be called teenagers, but not yet mature enough to be considered "seasoned" men. This is what gives the album its charm: playful, witty in a balanced way, yet full of reflection and introspection.

Duy Khang – the lead vocalist and author of 7 songs in the album – said: "Previously, I composed based on personal emotions, but this time it's different. The reason for that is that I and the other two members of the group now have families. Our perspective on life is now different, more mature, so the music is no longer confined to our own personal stories."

Their approach to music is different now than it used to be. They no longer eat and sleep together; each person works on their own part of the project at home and then sends it to the others. For example, when Khang finishes a song and sends it to Nhím Biển, Nhím will ask what style he wants it to be in and then email it back to the whole group. "We're all in different places, but we still work well together," the group said with a laugh.

Furthermore, for this second album, Duy Khang also handled the sound mastering himself. He said: "I'm confident with my nearly 10 years of playing music and 30 years of listening to music. I think no one understands the band's music better than we do, so mastering it ourselves is the most accurate way to do it. I didn't just jump into 'taking' the job of sound engineers; I spent three years learning on my own and invested in buying a lot of equipment and machinery from abroad."

"Among the current generation of young artists, I think Chillies is a name worth mentioning. The group has a sophisticated and modern musical style. I've followed them since their first songs and really liked their album *Through the Window* (2020). *Kim* is a very commendable album, youthful, fresh, and full of life. The album's sound is highly international, and the mixing and mastering are also well done. What I regret most is the stiff, Western-sounding pronunciation of Vietnamese, similar to many singers nowadays. Pronouncing Vietnamese like English is a common weakness of the younger generation of singers. I think language is the foundation; we can't 'abandon' it. Internationalization is only in music, but language is our identity! That's the only thing, everything else in the album is good."

Musician Vo Thien Thanh

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cac-chang-trai-chillies-thay-doi-voi-disco-185251017195140427.htm