Chaif's inspirations draw from Russian music as well as Western and Caribbean sounds. The impact of Vladimir Vysotsky's visceral spoken-sung soliloquies and Mashina Vremeni's barroom rock 'n' blues can be heard in Chaif's glorious ragers and acoustic ballads. Yet the band has also delved into the kind of shambolic rock 'n' roll made famous by The Rolling Stones, and hopeful, conscious reggae pioneered by Bob Marley.