By Andrew SheivachmanPLAY Writer

With a name that translates from Japanese as “playful sex,” one might expect Asobi Seksu to play flighty pop. But by combining melodic keyboards with shoegazer guitar strains, Asobi Seksu generates a sweet but lovelorn atmosphere… They’re not a bunch of floozies, after all.

The New York-based quartet is touring currently in support of their sophomore album Citrus, an electric swirl of bright colors and sonic explosions, which the band released last May. “The texture is part of it, since we think the album represents many different bursts of color; the music is sweet and has a punch to it,” says Yuki Chikudate, Asobi’s vocalist/keyboardist.

“We’ve been playing for so long, and we had a good idea of the kind of record we wanted to make,” says Chikudate. “We had a very limited block of time to mix and record everything. We even had charts.” Citrus was recorded in two weeks with producer Chris Zane at New York’s Gigantic Studios. Zane, who previously produced albums for Ambulance LTD and Les Savy Fav, helped the band craft an experimental-sounding album that remains accessible despite its depth and complexity.

A unique aspect of Asobi Seksu’s material is Chikudate’s combination of English and Japanese lyrics. Japanese is “a language that I speak, and I decided that I would use it to my advantage. Some melodies flow so nicely in the Japanese,” Chikudate says.

“(My band mates) just trust that I’m not singing about something weird,” she says, citing the collaborative songwriting process. “We usually come up with a melody first, or sometimes a guitar part, but we usually start with the musical element and flesh it out as a band,” she says. “Sometimes we are lucky and it works, but most of the time we just sit down and play.”

Asobi Seksu formed in 2001. “I met James (Hanna), the guitarist in the band, when one of his bands broke up,” the singer says. Chikudate was attending the Manhattan School of Music in New York at the time, and the two formed a band with drummer Keith Hopkin and bassist Glenn Waldman. Asobi Seksu released their self-titled debut and played locally for several years but received little acclaim from critics. “We’ve definitely learned a lot… We’ve fallen flat on our face more than once,” says Chikudate.

In 2004, the indie label Friendly Fire took notice of the band and reissued their debut album. It received rave reviews, and college radio stations around the country gave it airtime. A few tracks were also featured in In Between Days, an independent film that won a special prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

After a shaky national tour, Asobi Seksu nearly broke up. “It was pretty nerve-wracking in the beginning just being the front person of the band,” Chikudate says. Before recording for their new album began, Hopkin and Waldman left the band. Drummer Mitch Spivak and bassist Haji stepped in, and the four headed to the studio. “We’ve become more confident as a band as far as performance,” says Chikudate. “We feel more like a unit.”

Following Citrus’ release, Asobi Seksu toured with Mates of State and Darker My Love. “We’re going to go home for about a month and take that time to rest and hopefully dive into some new material,” says Chikudate. “In late February we are going out on the road for about four weeks.”

Before Asobi Seksu heads home, the band will come through Chicago, performing on Friday, Jan. 26, at the Abbey Pub (3420 W. Grace St.).

Medill freshman Andrew Sheivachman is a PLAY writer. He can be reached at [email protected].