Those tuning in to the latest season of ONE PIECE have encountered a particularly intriguing piece of music serving as the end theme.
“PUNKS” comes courtesy of the colorfully named CHAMELEON LIME WOOPIEPIE, and this tie-up with one of the most beloved franchises in Japanese history marks the project's biggest step into the spotlight to date. Yet the outfit — revolving around the vocalist and creative force Chi alongside two support musicians named Whoopies1 and Whoopies2 — has been creating wonky songs nodding to both Shibuya-kei and modern mish-mashes of sound since the late 2010s.
Given the greater attention bound to fall on CLWP moving forward, now is a good opportunity to dive into the eclectic group’s history and discover more about one of the better shape-shifters in the contemporary J-pop landscape.
Who Am I
CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE came together in 2016, though it wouldn’t be until 2019 that the trio released its first single “Dear idiot.” This one set the pace for the project — set in motion by boom-bap beats and piano twinkles, Chi offers a laid-back rap over it all. Yet around the edges the sound comes off as a bit more unstable, with notes wavering and backing vocals warped. It’s a chill number hiding plenty of unsettling touches to set it apart.
Relatively quickly, CLWP started attracting attention online. They followed it up with a trickle of singles leading into 2021, when at the very start of the year Spotify Japan included them in its “RADAR: Early Noise” list of acts to watch moving forward. Shortly after, CLWP released its first EP PLAY WITH ME, which found them expanding on the sounds they could construct a song out of and even veer into pop with a more dramatic bend to it (see the title track, which distances itself from sillier energy in favor of something urgent).
CLWP introduced themselves…but were already underlining that they would always be pushing itself beyond the expected.
Stand Out Chameleon
The first time I ever saw CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE perform live was at Summer Sonic 2022. The trio had the honor of being one of the first acts to open up the Sonic Stage inside Chiba’s Makuhari Messe, going on at 11 am, a time when most are still filing into the venue. Despite this, a solid crowd packed into the area to watch a genuinely left-field show featuring two people in masks flanking Chi as they zoomed around the stage delivering high-energy pop mutations. Despite happening before noon, those assembled got really into the sonic mish-mash.
It also felt like a culmination for CLWP’s run since its debut EP. In very 21st century style, the group focused on assorted singles rather than worrying about creating a unified album, using each release to explore new ideas, often different than what came before. It all built up to 2022’s Mad Doctor EP, celebrating its eclectic nature while also mixing in plenty of mad-cap scrambles and perfecting early genre-mix-ups on the frantic “Crush Style.”
The band quickly got to shooting off in new directions. It collaborated with American guitarist Stephen Harrison for the high-energy “Whoopie is a Punkrocker,” mending heavy riffs with an Aughts-appropriate Shibuya-kei spirit (and tempo). “Indie Slime” saw the group link up with producer PARKGOLF for a track featuring vocals gone alien and synths gone unnervingly shiny.
CLWP — as they did at Summer Sonic — kept showing how they were a restless outfit. To capture that, 2023’s first full-length album Orange featured songs stretching back from before its first EP. Closer to a best-of collection than an original work, it was CLWP celebrating its first era.
Whoop It Up
It would be a bit misleading to tag CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE as top-level J-pop at this point, but the project has become something akin to “your favorite artists’ favorite artist.” It has gotten more attention in later years, while also linking up with craters such as PES from RIP SLYME or prolific hip-hop creator MadeinTYO. On top of this, CLWP has taken steps to go abroad, appearing twice at the celebrated South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.
During all of this, the group continues to tinker, resulting in this year’s second album Whoop It Up being even more expansive, dabbling in Beck-like rap mutations (“Growing”), sunny-day pop hop (“Flower”) and even more melancholy strolls (“I Know”). That offered a summary of where CLWP is at…now comes the One Piece work, which positions them to go even further.
Five Essentials
“Unplastic Girl”
In many ways, CLWP works best when turning its wacky tendencies towards sparser music. “Unplastic Girl” is the earliest example of the project turning its playful nature to something a little more focused on feelings than frenzy, and it results in something affecting but with an edge.
“Crush Style”
Arguably the perfect distillation of what CLWP is all about. It’s part Shibuya-kei collage, part 21st century genre bing, and all swagger. Weird to say about such a pinballing song, but it’s the right balance of every element found within this group.
“Whoopie is a Punkrocker”
Rock riffs don’t come quite this heavy in the CLWP catalog, but maybe they should because the extra energy really makes this a standout.
“Secret March”
A sparser song still full of little touches that make it right at home in the CLWP universe. Also one of the best vocal performances that Chi has delivered, showing her range goes well beyond rapping.
“I Know”
Somewhat of a curveball made in conjunction with MadeinTYO, but “I Know” hits on a vulnerability (and sonic diversity) that hints at potential exciting emotional turns for the group to go down.
