The importance of having a good time is apparent in chickenrace’s work. They will make an entrance this summer with their first maxi single, Departure.

Departure comes out June 4th, 2008. While it’s chickenrace’s first official single release, the band has already released a full album (7134) and two mini albums (Sunshine Underground, Love your life) in ‘05 and ‘06 respectively.

chickenrace first took shape in Fujisawa, Kanagawa in 1998. The band’s tosses together elements of surf rock, pop, punk, and funk with unflinching optimism to compose something that’s certainly their own. chickenrace is Yuki (guitar/vocals), Shinji (bass/vocals), Ken (guitar/chorus), and Shin (drums). They are currently signed with Kick Rock MUSIC.

The vocal duo of Yuki and Shinji works great in the sense of the “two heads are better than one” proverb — in this case voices. Especially catching is the juxtaposition between the two vocalists’ style and sound. Yuki’s piercing voice charges through verses and chorus while Shinji’s smooth vocals often interject.

A sample of “Departure” can be heard on chickenrace’s official audioleaf page. It’ll be interesting to hear what the rest of the Departure release holds. The cover art reminds me of posters for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. That’s noteworthy considering the cover art for the band’s last three releases are all sunny and “surfy”. A new album is apparently around the corner.

Watch the PV for 2007’s “Heartbeat” (from the Love Your Life mini album):

Check out chickenrace’s official MySpace

Buy chickenrace CDs @ CD Japan (no link for Departure yet)