Hottaraka Series
is the debut extended play by Japanese band Chai, released on August 22, 2015. Originally a self-released album, it was later given a global digital release and a Japan-wide release in 2016. The extended play's leading promotional track "Gyaranboo" was a success in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 36 on Spotify's UK top 50 chart, without any promotion from the band. Background and development Chai was formed in 2012 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, by twins Mana and Kana alongside Yuna and Yuuki. Mana, Kana, Yuna are all from Nagoya, and were in the same class at high school. At first, Chai performed mostly around Nagoya and the surrounding prefectures. The band self-published the singles "Chai" (2013), "Kōsui (My Name Is Chai)" (2013) and "Chūburarin" (2014), and held a tour of central Japan in the summer holidays. By 2015, the band had started to perform more around the Tokyo area. The band decided to distance themselves from the music found on their earlier singles, due to the different musical direction to Hottaraka Series, which the band found too feminine and cute in retrospect. Writing and production All of the songs on the album were composed by Mana, with Yuuki