Debuting in April of this year, “Psychopomp” by Japanese Breakfast is another entry into the lo-fi experimental indie pop scene. While their genre is an indistinguishable oxymoron, the question as to what their music sounds like is much more easy to answer. Of course, what would a review be without a little info on the artist, begging the question, just who is Japanese Breakfast?
A typical Japanese breakfast consists of steamed rice, miso soup, a protein such as grilled fish or a rolled egg omelette (tamagoyaki) and various side dishes. This information can be found with a quick Google search. As for the band Japanese Breakfast, perhaps the reader will have more luck finding any information at all about them online, as the band lacks almost any online presence. Their Bandcamp page is bleak, their Facebook blank and their interviews non-existent. A thorough mystery, the band’s sound becomes all the more interesting.
For certain, the band centers around Michelle Zauner, lead vocals, guitar and songwriter, with a rotating lineup of other members that accompany her on tour. The band’s sound is fairly easily described as lo-fi experimental pop, or indie pop, which is both directly contradictory and extremely accurate in its description. Japanese Breakfast, much like the non-Western morning meal, is light and clean.
Boasting a fuzzy but overdrive-free sound, this album is pretty far from being your typical rock fare. The vocals are dreamy, with drawn out decay, intense harmonies and of course, a healthy dose of echo. Instrumentation is primarily provided by some ethereal sounding synths and clean guitars that never overpower the vocals. Most songs are mildly upbeat, but start to slow down toward the end of the album. The last track “Triple 7,” slows the pace down to a crawl and focuses more on a prolonged, wistful beauty rather than something upbeat and catchy.
The first few tracks on the album, by comparison, are actually fairly catchy. Percussion on the album is primarily provided by a muted drumkit in the background with a slightly more noticeable egg shaker or similar small percussion device. Other strong instrumental features are the chimes, short string sections and frequent use of lo-fi noise ambience.
The product of all of this is an intense, dreamlike work of beauty. The lyrical work on “Pyschopomp” greatly accentuates this, and at times outshines the melodic work of the vocals. Make no mistake, the vocals are the key to this album; the vocal focal point if you will. They are never overshadowed by any other instrument and on some songs are the only sound present for great lengths of time. “Psychopomp” is very pretty, and shows a great talent at both songwriting and performance on behalf of Zauner. The only other instrumentation on the album that comes close to rivaling the vocals is the synth work, which comes together with the vocals to create an almost ‘80s throwback sounding duo.
Though this album is far from boring or lacking in variety, it does at times struggle to differentiate itself from the wave of other similar indie acts. The “soft voiced indie girl” act is absurdly pervasive in the indie scene, and with a proper vibe or style, the shtick can wear thin easily. A series of pretty sounds can only go so far without proper emotional backing. Luckily, for the most part, Japanese Breakfast carries through with only a couple of songs on the album suffering in terms of originality. While overall “Psychopomp” may not be the most groundbreaking indie album to premiere in recent years, it’s certainly a treat for fans of the genre and should be appreciated as such.
