The Japanese House – In the End It Always Does
WIth her pop-heavy second album, Amber Bain is compelling as ever but falls a little short of coming full circle
No one does heartbreak quite like Amber Bain, aka The Japanese House. Her 2019 debut LP Good at Falling was a gut-punch of a record, dealing with the emotional turmoil of ending a three-year relationship. Since then, Bain has been on quite a journey: moving town, entering into a throuple, cohabiting in lockdown and having those relationships end. In The End It Always Does ruminates on falling in and out of love, with clarity and optimism, and a sense of coming full circle.
With Bain’s signature soaring melodies, hypnotic soundscapes and sultry vocals, the record is instantly endearing. She leans further into the pop style in which she has often dabbled, with vocal contributions from The 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel, Katie Gavin from MUNA and Justin Vernon.
It’s heartfelt and fun in equal measure, flitting between moods and styles. There’s infectious pop on Touching Yourself and Sunshine Baby, resplendence on Morning Pages and Indexical Reminder of a Morning Well Spent, and elsewhere, touches of cheesy 90s-style country-pop. But with all this exploration, the record lacks a little impact, not quite achieving the cohesion and emotional gravity of Good at Falling.
Listen to: Touching Yourself, Sunshine Baby, Morning Pages