The Japanese House is not an actual house in Japan. The Japanese House is not really a band either, even though it consists of a drummer and guitarists. In fact, all the work comes from the solo artist, Amber Bain. She does all of the songwriting, does all vocals, guitar, synthesizer, and keyboard playing. She works with the drummer of the 1975, George Daniel, when it comes to producing the music. I stumbled upon The Japanese House when I bought tickets to see the 1975 back in May of 2016. I noticed that the band was touring with the 1975 so I started listening to their music to get a head start. I thought their music was okay at first, it definitely reminds me of the 1975 and their music. Once I heard The Japanese House live I fell in love, and I even saw them a second time at a bar in Boston.
Let us talk about where the name "The Japanese House" came from. Amber has explained in many interviews that as a child she was on holiday in Cornwall, England. The house they were staying at was property once owned by Kate Winslet, and it was named "The Japanese House". Amber Bain identified as a boy for the time she was on holiday in Cornwall and when she wanted a name for herself and music but did not want to give away her name or gender, thus The Japanese House was born. She also describes herself as being androgynous, along with her music and musical influences are inspired by this concept.
The singer is relatively new since her first EP came out in 2015, and going on tour with the 1975 the following year. The four EPs that are out right now are "Pools To Bathe In", "Clean", "Swim Against The Tide", and "Saw You In A Dream". I love all the EPs Amber has put out so far, and I am currently obsessed with 'Saw You In A Dream' I have it on repeat. But my favorite song out of all of the EPs is called 'Cool Blue', it has been my favorite song since I heard it live the first time and it was even better when I heard it the second time.
Amber describes her music as "warm, dream-pop sounds that wash over the listener like you're standing in the ocean getting taken over by the waves " according to Last.fm. Which I completely agree with because I listen to their music as night and it feels like I am dreaming. A prime example is, ironic enough, 'Saw You In A Dream' the beat of the songs with Amber's soft synthetic vocals make it feel like you are sitting on the beach taking a nice nap and enjoying life. Though her lyrics are speaking about heartbreak and other sad things, the illusion is in the harmonies and melodies of the music.
If you want to listen to something different but similar to the 1975 I would definitely recommend listening to the Japanese House. I cannot wait to see what comes next from her and see if she finally puts out an album because so far I am in love. I hope that she decides to go on tour again soon because I definitely will be buying tickets.
