Whilst humanity as we know it crumbles and society’s very foundations become blurred with pangs of ethical confusion, we crave honest, dream-drenched pop music. In recent years, indie music has been swept with a hefty dose of pop-timism.
With mega radio-stars exploring subtleties of eclectic downtempo electronic soundscapes and alternative flavours, it’s clear music listeners have embraced an era of experimentation and openness.
The Japanese House (aka Amber Bain) is a modern alt-pop luminary. After stirring hype online and garnering a hyper-engaged fan base over the last few years with a string of well-received EPs, her debut album Good at Falling is out now.
Good at Falling is a heartfelt mission statement for The Japanese House, a dizzying multi-instrumentalist whose talents span guitar, synths, and bass.
With saccharine drenched melodies at its core, Good at Falling is as vulnerable and intricate as it is catchy and universally danceable – it showcases the best qualities of modern nihilist-pop without compromising on identity.
The album is not afraid to confront its inner-most fears but beckons for the listener to sing-a-long with wild abandon. It’s a poignant, honest body of work that chronicles a musician who’s spent years honing their craft.
The Japanese House – ‘Maybe You’re The Reason’
Bolstering intro track ‘went to meet her’, heavy on heart-tugging thumping electronics, auto-tune heavy vocal passages that swerve with a palpitating trajectory is an immediate hook into an album that delves into heavy emotional territory.
‘Maybe You’re The Reason’ boasts sentimental 80’s synths and jaunty clean-guitar riffs, sounds appropriated for music fans who spent their formative years indulging in the aesthetic-focused dreaminess of Tumblr-pushed indie pop.
The blatant, confronting lyricism of ‘We Talk all the Time’ is proof of pop music’s ability to cut to the crux of the human condition and the driving indie rock sensibilities of ‘You Seemed So Happy’ are a testament to The Japanese House’s far-reaching talents.
As part of the Dirty Hit family – home to The 1975, Wolf Alice, Pale Waves and more, The Japanese House has similarly attracted a “stan-base”. Much like fellow young pop stars like Troye Sivan, Lorde, and Billie Eilish, young fans appreciate Bain’s intimate lyricism and honesty surrounding her identity and sexuality.
Good at Falling is, according to Bain, her most personal, vulnerable and yet confident body of work to date, which she described in a statement as being “definitely more direct” than her previous works.
“Please stan the Japanese House. Her new album makes me wanna cry it’s so fuckin good,” said one fan on Twitter following the album’s release on Friday.
“it’s 10pm time to listen to the new the Japanese house album and cry myself to sleep,” said another.
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Success hasn’t come overnight for The Japanese House – slow burning triumph came in the form of 4-EPs, EPs, Pools To Bathe In (2015), Clean (2015), Swim Against The Tide (2016) and her latest release, 2017’s Saw You In A Dream.
2017’s title track ‘Saw You In A Dream’ has amassed over 20 million streams on Spotify, creating a bubbling hype for Bain’s debut full length. Bain was also nominated the iconic BBC Sound of 2017 Long List – a sure fire way to guarantee eyes and ears on an artist’s next release
It’s quite clear as to why The Japanese House has received such a heavy co-sign from The 1975, arguably the world’s most influential pop group currently reigning.
Good at Falling was produced by The 1975’s George Daniel and BJ Burton (Low, Bon Iver, Francis and the Lights), with Bain first catching the ear of frontman Matty Healy back in 2015.
“When I heard Amber for the first time, I was like, ‘The fuck is this?!’” Healy said in an interview with Vulture. “It was some weird post-apocalyptic Alison Moyet. I said, ‘How old is she? Is she a girl?’ She was 17. She was gay. She had this line: ‘I watched him kiss her and it felt so boring.’ It wasn’t like, ‘Ooh quirky gayness,’ or a woman ‘taking control.’ It was new.”
The Japanese House – ‘Lilo’
The Japanese House is about to hit the road on a headline tour across the UK taking on the iconic stage of Reading and Leeds festival this August.
Listen to Good at Falling here.
