Chaerin Im returns with 'aïe aïe', a playful and personal new EP that opens space for risk, rhythm, and real-time connection.

With 'aïe aïe', Amsterdam-based pianist and composer Chaerin Im continues the sonic journey she began on her 2025 debut album Midnight Resets, but with a twist: this time, she’s opening the windows, shaking off the emotional weight, and letting the air in.

Where Midnight Resets was a tightly constructed concept album, layered with heartbreak, healing, and late-night introspection, aïe aïe is freer, looser, more spontaneous. “Midnight Resets was a concept album,” Chaerin says, “I didn’t get to play much with it. I kinda missed that.” aïe aïe is her way of finding the middle ground, keeping the vibe, but bringing the playfulness back in.

Set for release on Dox Records, aïe aïe features a new trio setup, a formation Chaerin once resisted. “the trio was always the thing that I hated the most, I really didn’t like it”, she admits. “It always felt like too much piano, too much me. I want to break that kind of stereotype inside me”. In this new trio, built on trust, equal footing, and curiosity, she found a way to reimagine the format.

The result is three core tracks, plus two offbeat bonus pieces, that tap into everything from textured beat-making and soft electro-jazz to chaotic, genre-blending bursts of catharsis. It’s both playful and cheeky. 

And then there’s the title: aïe aïe. “I say it all the time,” Chaerin laughs. “Usually three times. It’s sarcastic, like: aïe aïe aïe, someone’s crying again. But I liked how it looked. I liked how it sounded. I think it captures the vibe, it is a bit more chill." After the emotional weight of Midnight Resets, aïe aïe is a kind of a relief. "I wanted to also explore that I don't have to put all of my heart all the time, so just have some fun.”

CREDITS

Chaerin Im | Synths, Piano
Paddy Fitzgerald | Double Bass
Ludvig Søndergaard | Drums
Otis Sandsjö | Tenor Saxophone (on 'we are not a sampler')

Recorded by Georgii Drobot in Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam
Mixed & Masterd by Alessandro Mazzieri
Artwork by Soyo

All tracks composed by Chaerin Im.