somethingfartoogoodtofeel captures the sheer genre-spanning intrigue of The Japanese House’s music and is nothing short of symphonic.
Fresh from her recently released debut album Good at Falling, somethingfartoogoodtofeel provides the inflection point on a record that is remarkably cohesive despite containing a number of already released singles. Equal parts folk and blissful indie pop, this transient tune bristles with a multitude of sonic textures; sweeping strings create an epicness that usually belongs to the silver screen before the track dives into a canter of driving rhythm. To hell with traditional song structures, this is a piece that unravels as you listen; an intricate production that seems to offer up something different each time you listen.
The Japanese House is the solo work of the incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Amber Bain. Her sound combines digitally harmonised vocals and richly crafted soundscapes, drawn from electronic as well as acoustic sources, whilst the name captures the nostalgia of a childhood holiday at an eponymous Devonshire cottage. There remains a sentimentality throughout her songwriting which spans past relationships, emotions felt and experience had, whilst her guitar quips remain characteristically breezy and upbeat. A trait picked up from fellow Dirty Hit label mates The 1975 who have chimed in on production on a number of tracks since the release of Face Like Thunder; unmistakably related to their own songs with its bouncing hooks and dazzlingly clean guitar shimmer. Prior to that, our first taste of The Japanese House was the pitch shifted surrealism of the Pools to Bathe In EP and the sparkling electronic trip-hop of the Clean EP. Both released back in 2015, they serve to highlight the evolution of an artist who has taken a patient approach to creating her debut LP, and it’s all the better for it.
The Japanese House have a few more UK dates to go before continuing the tour stateside right up until the summer festival season.
The Empty Space Between Your Ears 