The Japanese House Embraces The Contradictory
English artist The Japanese House have released their sophomore album, In the End It Always Does, following a three-year hiatus. It comes after their first album Good At Falling released in 2019 and their latest EP Chewing Cotton Wool released in 2020.
The Japanese House, whose real name is Amber Bain, certified themselves as a part of the “bedroom pop” movement around 2019 that saw the rise in popularity of artists like Clairo, girl in red, and beabadoobee. The soft vocals combined with the heartbreaking lyrics, electronic rhythms, and present synths make the album unique. While still maintaining a uniqueness, The Japanese House dives into differences on their second album.
Wanting to make more music by playing instruments rather than producing on a laptop, The Japanese House turns to pop. The complex harmony arrangements joined with the creative instrumentals and lyrics develop it beyond your typical pop album. It finds that its mixture of breezy and danceable songs make it a stellar summer album.
Bain produced every song with drummer and producer from The 1975, George Daniel, with Chloe Kraemer joining them for about half of the album. On songs like “Sad to Breathe” and “Touching Yourself,” the upbeat production combines with the sad lyrics, creating a contradictory success. While MUNA is the only listed feature on the album, Matty Healy (“Sunshine Baby”), Charli XCX (“Friends”), and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver (“Over There”) each make appearances. Katie Gavin from MUNA joins on “Morning Pages,” a song written after reading the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, followed by “One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones,” a song that takes root from the nursery rhyme “One For Sorrow” with lyrics of grappling identity, feelings, and relationships in adulthood.
From the high points of a relationship to its fizzing dissolution to embracing uncertainty, In the End It Always Does captures the contradictory.
Fans can hear more as Bain is set to start a UK and North American tour between October and December of 2023.
Featured Image Credit: The Japanese House on Spotify