The Japanese House came to make a mark on the music world with her hugely anticipated album tour, and succeeded.
The Japanese House has always been shrouded with mystery. Releasing her first E.P in 2015, then 19 year old Amber Bain had a nearly non-existent profile; there was even some speculation being that The Japanese House was actually an alias of Matty Healy of The 1975. But in preparation of her album Good At Falling, released at the beginning of this month, Bain has appeared in a series of interviews, and her profile has only grown stronger. The Japanese House kicked off her UK tour last night at Concorde 2 Brighton. Equipped with a stellar outfit, Bain came to make a mark on the music world with her hugely anticipated album tour, and succeeded.
Bain, with her preferential low mass media profile, seems that she would prefer for her music to do the talking. That was present throughout her time on stage with nearly no breaks between songs and just a few words of ‘thanks’ when the track ended; but that is part of the 23yr old’s charm. She first hit the scene a few years ago with her first E.P Pools to Bathe In. Signed under the same label as The 1975 and having George Daniels, Matty Healy and and the lads helping out on the production has definitely enlightened the music world to the intricacy of her talent. But seeing it live is something a lot more personal.
Bain opened with Went to Meet Her (the intro track to her new album). With drum-licks and samples over slick vocals, if ever there was a band needed to summarise the millennial’s take on “aesthetics”, Bain’s music would be a top candidate. Her act is both visually and musically pleasing; she doesn’t rely on any intense visual aids but more her authenticity of her standing guitar in-hand pouring her heart out into a sea of adorn listeners. The sound and arrangement were spot on, and you could tell there was a sincerity in preparation into the live execution of her music; it is also fair to say that of the live version of tracks like Maybe Your the Reason, Leon, You Seemed So Happy and Face Like Thunder.
Bain’s music seems to be braver than her previous releases, and there was clear experimentation in both vocals and sound that have pushed her to the next level. Her ambient and electro sound accompanied by faultless emotive layered vocals reminded me of standing eyes closed at a Bon Iver gig. Bain sang some of her loved songs from previous releases, including Teeth from her first EP.
Her latest release, ‘Lilio’ , had the crowd singing back the words she had carefully written about a love breakdown, and was a pinnacle moment of the night. It was both emotive and solidified that Bain’s position as an accomplished artist. A special mention has to go out to Freddy Sheed, who’s skill and technicality brought everything together. He lead the display of precision on the ambient track Somethingfartoogoodtofeel. On Follow My Girl there were some interesting samples and vocals that complemented Bain’s vocals, as she sings “nothing feels good, I can’t fix it, it’s not right”. The experience of The Japanese House was as poetic as it was innovating. There is something very earnest about Bain’s representation of music. Just as her We Talk All the Time lyric states, there’s “a paradigm shift”, and she is a firm leader.
Her tour continues: http://thejapanesehouse.co.uk/tour/
