The Japanese House Travels To SLC
Article written by Gentry White and cover photo provided by Justin Higuchi
On Monday, November 27, 2023, Amber Bain, known professionally as The Japanese House, visited Salt Lake’s The Depot for the North American leg of her tour. Originally from Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom, Bain burst onto the scene in 2015 when little was known about the artist. For a while, the androgynous quality of her voice and avoidance of press made people speculate about her music belonging to that of the lead singer of The 1975, Matty Healy, who was signed under the same label, Dirty Hit. The rumors were put to rest when Bain went on tour with Healy as the opening act for the 1975 in 2015. Her first EP Pools to Bathe In was released the same year.
Since 2015, The Japanese House has released multiple EPs and two studio albums. The first, Good At Falling, was released in 2019 to positive reviews. Her second album, In the End It Always Does, was released in June 2023 featuring credits from previous collaborators like Matty Healy, George Daniel, Justin Vernon, Muna, and more.
The Japanese House was preceded by 22-year-old folk artist and New Jersey native, Quinn Barnitt — otherwise known as quinnie. In February of this year, Barnitt released her first studio album flounder under Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music. Barnitt and her two bandmates (introduced as Jake and Hudson) took to the stage first with three acoustic guitars, interchanging throughout their performance with a steel guitar and autoharp.
The trio awed the crowd with smooth harmonies and creative lyrics like, “God is a girl with a sea shell in her palm,” or “What if I never scratched another itch for the rest of my life? // Would I die satisfied knowing it could always get better than this?” From somewhere in the crowd, a fan exclaimed, regarding Barnitt’s delicate and hypnotic voice, “She sounds like an elf or something!”
It is a fitting description for the slight country twang and sweet soprano of the lead singer’s voice, who captivated on stage as though she had been doing so her whole life. It is rare when an opening act can hold an audience’s full attention, but Barnitt and her band engaged from beginning to end, introducing those unfamiliar with her work to some lovely new songs to add to their playlists.
FIND QUINNIE ON INSTAGRAM, SPOTIFY, AND HER WEBSITE
The Japanese House took the stage to enthusiastic applause and shouts of excitement for Bain. The five-person ensemble began with the third track from In the End It Always Does, “Sad to Breathe” and promptly followed with one of their most recently popular “Touching Yourself”. Bain’s deep, rich voice, previously thought to have possibly belonged to Healy, is unabashedly all her own. With her new album influenced by poetry, Joni Mitchell, and even Richard Linklater’s film “Boyhood,” Bain and her band filled the venue with the dream-like sounds of synthesizers and the emotionally honest lyricism Bain has become known for.
The crowd danced along to classics like “Follow My Girl” and “Maybe You’re the Reason” and stayed hushed with wrapt attention during softer numbers like “Chewing Cotton Wool”. All of the upbeat numbers with pop undertones were set aside during Bain’s first encore number, “One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones”, where Bain sat solo at the piano while a member of her company lightly lit the air with notes from the saxophone. This was followed by the hit, “Sunshine Baby” to close out the night, where Bain sings: “I miss my dog and I miss falling in love // I miss the feeling that you get when someone fits just like a glove”. From start to finish, the set was wonderfully inviting, where members of the crowd could sing, dance, and feel as Bain led her ensemble through a night of good tunes.
The Japanese House continues her tour of North America until her December 10 show in Boston, MA before returning to England. For more information and to view available tickets and locations, please visit the links below.
