Chin Chin by Skunkhour

Chin Chin, Skunkhour's third album, landed on Epic in July 1997, and it's the sound of a Sydney funk band learning to live without its rapper. Del Larkin had walked out late in 1996 to chase a career at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and rather than hire a replacement, the others simply carried on: Aya Larkin singing, the Sutherland brothers, Dean on bass and Michael on drums, locking the groove, and Warwick Scott's guitar cutting across the top. Dean summed it up as the rap going out and melody coming in.

Much of it was hammered out at soundchecks while the band toured Europe early that year, and there's a Continental sheen on it, the old funk-hop swagger melting into something smoother and more electronic, closer to soul. Magoo, who had produced Regurgitator and Powderfinger, handled the desk. "Breathing Through My Eyes", "Weightlessness" and "Morning Rolls" were the singles, and the album reached No. 34 on the Australian chart.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.