GRAMMY-nominated act Japanese Breakfast explores a breadth of music, from fuzzy garage rock to stargazing indie rock and jubilant synth pop. Regardless of sonic pathway, Michelle Zauner's songs consistently encapsulate a depth of emotions that can be difficult to articulate.
One of the predominant themes of her writing has been grief. The release of debut album Psychopomp closely followed the death of Zauner’s mother; her 2021 debut novel Crying In H Mart further detailed the nuances of their relationship as well as her mother’s Korean culture.
Psychopomp, like the rest of Japanese Breakfast's cannon, is capable of devastation and euphoria in equal measure. 2017’s Soft Sounds from Another Planet was "about disassociating to preserve my mental health," Zauner told Pitchfork. While the album is more conceptual than their debut, there are plenty of moments grounded in realities of love and survival.
The band’s biggest breakthrough came with 2021’s Jubilee, which led to two GRAMMY nominations, for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. Having spent two albums writing under the cloud of grief, this was Zauner allowing herself to have a greater sense of joy in her life. From the triumphant, bombastic brass sections of "Paprika," to the playfulness of "Savage Good Boy," this was a marked change into pop-adjacent indie.
A shift occurred between Jubilee and the recently released For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women). While themes of loss are less prominent, a moody and introspective atmosphere permeates. Melancholy Brunettes harbors a more pensive sadness, revolving around Zauner's sense of self.Taking inspiration from European novelists such as Emily Bronte, there’s drama, tragedy and temptation aplenty, with Zauner embodying multiple roles and exaggerated versions of herself.
In a 2022 interview with GRAMMY.com, Zauner described herself as an optimist, a testament to how she’s navigated the most difficult period of her life. "I'm a secret hopeful person! Because in any narrative or story I've told, it's been important for me to find some type of hope to cling to," she said. "I certainly am not one to dwell on the negative. It doesn't help me to have that be my end goal."
A period of change precedes the release of Japanese Breakfast’s fourth album. Zauner has spent time studying in Seoul and has been wrestling with the idea of success. For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) has her confronting the perils of desire, where receiving all you’ve ever wanted, may see you fly too close to the sun.
There's also a tonal shift from Jubilee, with a darker aesthetic and nocturnal nature. Where previous releases were bedroom productions or other DIY efforts, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) is the first Japanese Breakfast album recorded in a studio. Easily their most complex record to date, there are layers of delicate and ornate instrumentals which capture you in their warmth.
Enter Japanese Breakfast's pensive universe with five songs essential to their discography, then press play on For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women).
The opener of Japanese Breakfast’s debut is the last song that was recorded for the album, in a small bedroom studio in Eugene, Oregon. Punctuated by oscillating synth textures, "In Heaven" is an immediate heartbreaker that finds Zauner searching through the debris in light of her mother’s passing.
Zauner sees her mother visiting her dreams and describes the emptiness that remains in her absence. But, there remains a hopefulness in the fact that she may now have her mother watching from above. There’s a beautiful reverie within the shoegaze ambiance that surrounds the song. Fittingly, the cover of Psychopomp is a picture of her mother in her twenties, emphasising how the record pays tribute to her memory.
"Machinist" remains one of Japanese Breakfast's most interesting soundscapes. The synths make it sound as though you’re riding a wave in the cosmos, with the flickers of stars in the background. The sense of science fiction is amplified by the fact the lyrics are about a woman who falls in love with a robot.
The auto-tuned vocals are a nice touch, adding believability to this futuristic tale of romance. The first song written for Soft Sounds from Another Planet, Zauner worked with producer Craig Hendrix on the track, with this initial success affirming that Hendrix would be the sole producer on the release.
Read more: Japanese Breakfast On The Pressure & Playfulness Behind 'Soft Sounds…'
Perfectly translating the joyous nature of Japanese Breakfast’s third album, "Be Sweet" is an effervescent slice of pop. The chorus of "Be sweet to me baby, I wanna believe in you/I wanna believe in something," is a simple yet relatable mantra reminiscent of wanting to fall as deeply as possible into somebody’s arms — we just need that extra bit of effort to take the plunge.
An 1980s inspiration dominates the track, with its bright usage of synthesisers, as it does throughout Jubilee, and in doing so shows the optimism Zauner had kept under wraps across her first two records.
Read more: How Japanese Breakfast Found Joy On Her New Album 'Jubilee'
"Slide Tackle" takes a sense of joy in warding off internal darkness. We find Zauner fighting a battle in her mind: "Don’t mind me whilst I’m tackling this void," she sings. Over the course of the track, we learn that sometimes the best way to handle the darker moments in our minds is to make light of the situation and imagine ourselves throwing ourselves directly at the problem.
It exemplifies the core premise of Jubilee: Despite lingering darkness and the shadow of grief, Zauner is still worthy of joy. That Zauner desires to navigate her trauma and feel alive again is felt throughout "Slide Tackle," a deeply self-aware piece of pop music. Her goal is emphasised blaring saxophone, which only increases in vibrancy throughout its runtime.
Speaking to GRAMMY about the track, Zauner mentioned how it also explores her desire to be seen as a good person despite mentioning in Crying In H Mart that she was seen as a "bad girl" when younger. "I'm so obsessed with striving to be a good person. My brain is very occupied, and I think a lot of my songs really boil down to "I want to be better, I want to be a better person."
The new Japanese Breakfast record doesn't shy away from melancholy, and "Winter In LA" feels like the definition of the term. The track finds a forlorn Zauner wishing that her partner had "a happier woman." The swooning string sections mimic the deep sighs of someone who is not just afflicted by sadness, but is welling in it. She dreams up this happier version of herself who loves the sun and winter in Los Angeles.
Zauner’s standout songwriting remains, proof that the GRAMMY nominee continues to capture our most relatable woes in a deeply poetic way.