Japanese Breakfast

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For the meal, see Japanese cuisine.
Japanese Breakfast
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Japanese Breakfast performing in 2018
Background information
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eugene, Oregon
Genres
Years active 2013 (2013)–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website japanesebreakfast.rocks
Members

Japanese Breakfast is an indie rock band headed by Korean-American musician, director, and author Michelle Zauner. The band released its first studio album Psychopomp (2016) on Yellow K Records, followed by Soft Sounds from Another Planet (2017) and Jubilee (2021), both on Dead Oceans.

History

2013–2016: Early releases

The first Japanese Breakfast release was June (2013), the result of a project where Zauner and Rachel Gagliardi recorded and posted one song every day for the month of June.[1] These songs were posted daily on the Tumblr blog rachelandmichelledojune. As Japanese Breakfast, Zauner also participated in a song project with musicians Gabrielle Smith, Florist, Frankie Cosmos, and Small Wonder. All of their songs were posted daily on the Tumblr blog may5to12songs. Zauner released her songs from the project on Bandcamp as a digital album entitled Where Is My Great Big Feeling? on June 6, 2014, followed shortly by American Sound on July 24. Both were released as the cassette tape American Sound/Where Is My Great Big Feeling.[2][3] Re-recorded versions of several songs from these releases appeared on the first two Japanese Breakfast albums.

While in Oregon with her family, Zauner continued recording as Japanese Breakfast. She described the project as having much more to say after Tropical Jinx, the 2014 studio album by Little Big League. Originally Zauner began to record samples of music as a meditative exercise and "instant gratification".[4]

2016–2021: Psychopomp and Soft Sounds from Another Planet

File:Japanese Breakfast live 2017.jpg
Zauner performing live with her band in 2017

On April 1, 2016, Japanese Breakfast released its first studio album, Psychopomp, under Yellow K Records. Zauner described the debut album as a confrontation of her mother's death[5] as well as "dark and heavy-handed", although she had a desire to make the music urgent[6] and "sonically upbeat".[4] On June 23, 2016, it was announced Japanese Breakfast had been signed to Dead Oceans. The same day, Zauner released the video for the song "Jane Cum". The video, directed by Adam Kolodny, was inspired by the film The Craft, and depicts Zauner and three friends gathering objects for rituals in the woods.[7]

On May 4, 2017, Zauner released the single "Machinist" and announced her second studio album, Soft Sounds from Another Planet, which released on July 14, 2017.[8] The music video for "Machinist" was directed by Zauner, in collaboration with Adam Kolodny. It stars Zauner as a woman who falls in love with a robot and tears apart her spaceship trying to build a body for it.[9] The song "Boyish" was released as a single on June 7, 2017.[10] A third single from the album, "Road Head", was released on July 6, 2017.[11] On October 19, 2017, a music video for "Body is a Blade" was released. It was animated using old family photographs and video of Zauner visiting locations from the photos. She described it as "a really personal mixed media piece, almost like a moving scrapbook".[12] On February 13, 2018, the music video for "Boyish" was released. It depicts a girl going to a high school dance, where Zauner and her band, accompanied by fellow indie musician Leslie Bear, are playing a set.[13] The video was directed by Zauner, who described it as her "favorite video yet".[14] A game entitled Japanese BreakQuest was released alongside Soft Sounds from Another Planet.[15] The game features all songs from the album as 8-bit MIDI tracks which were created by Peter Bradley, and the game was developed by Zauner and game designer Elaine Fath.[15]

In 2018, it was revealed during E3 2018 that Japanese Breakfast would be providing the soundtrack for indie game Sable.[16] The game was initially set to be released in 2019, but was delayed twice.[17] The game and its soundtrack were released on September 23, 2021.[18]

In 2019, Japanese Breakfast released two singles under the W Hotels music label, "Essentially" and a cover of the Tears for Fears song, "Head Over Heels".

2021–present: Jubilee

File:Japanese Breakfast - 51525768279.jpg
Zauner performing live with her band at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle in 2021

On March 2, 2021, Zauner released the song "Be Sweet", the first single from the third Japanese Breakfast album, Jubilee, which was released by Dead Oceans on June 4, 2021. The self-directed music video for "Be Sweet" features Marisa "Missy" Dabice and Zauner acting as FBI Agents tracking aliens.[19] On March 15, Japanese Breakfast performed the songs "Be Sweet" and "Jimmy Fallon Big!" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[20][21] A second single, "Posing In Bondage", was released on April 8, 2021. The video, also directed by Zauner, features Harmony Tividad as a grocery store employee.[22]

The third and final single from Jubilee, "Savage Good Boy", was released on May 19, 2021.[23] The video, directed by Zauner, features actor Michael Imperioli as a billionaire in a bunker, with Zauner as a young woman he has convinced to live underground with him.[24] It is a prequel to the video for "Posing in Bondage".

On June 10, a cover by Japanese Breakfast of their song "Be Sweet" in the fictional Simlish language was released for the eleventh expansion pack for The Sims 4.[25]

Music videos

Zauner has directed all of the music videos for Japanese Breakfast, except for "In Heaven" and "Jane Cum", which were directed by Adam Kolodny, and "Everybody Wants to Love You", which Zauner and Kolodny co-directed. Kolodny has been director of photography for all of Japanese Breakfast's videos.[26] Zauner and Kolodny have called the music video for "Jane Cum" their "least favorite music video" they have made together.[26]

In 2018, Zauner directed the music video for the Japanese Breakfast song "Boyish", which she described as her "magnum opus".[27]

Musical style

Michelle Geslani of Consequence of Sound has described Japanese Breakfast's sound as experimental pop.[28] Anna Gaca of Spin has described it as lo-fi.[7]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[29]		 US
Alt
[30]		 US
Indie
[31]		 US
Rock
[32]		 GER
[33]		 NZ
[34]		 SCO
[35]		 UK
[36]		 UK
Indie
[37]
Psychopomp — — — — — — — — —
Soft Sounds from Another Planet
  • Released: July 14, 2017[39]
  • Label: Dead Oceans
 —[upper-alpha 1] — 18 — — —[upper-alpha 2] — — 46
Jubilee
  • Released: June 4, 2021[42]
  • Label: Dead Oceans
 56 7 7 8 77 — 11 53 3
"—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released

Soundtrack albums

Title Album details
Sable
  • Released: September 24, 2021
  • Label: Sony Masterworks
  • Formats: LP, digital download, streaming

EPs

Title EP details
Japanese Breakfast on Audiotree Live

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Chart positions Album
US
AAA
[44]		 US
Alt.
Air.
[45]		 US
Rock
Air.
[46]		 BEL
(FL)
[47]
"In Heaven"[48] 2016 — — — — Psychopomp
"The Woman That Loves You"[49] — — — —
"Everybody Wants to Love You"[50] — — — —
"Machinist"[51] 2017 — — — — Soft Sounds from Another Planet
"Boyish"[52] — — — —
"Road Head"[53] — — — —
"Glider"[54] 2018 — — — — Non-album singles
"Dreams"[55] — — — —
"Essentially"[56] 2019 — — — —
"Head Over Heels"[57] — — — —
"Be Sweet"[58] 2021 7 34 38 —[upper-alpha 3] Jubilee
"Posing in Bondage"[59] — — — —
"Savage Good Boy" — — — —
"Paprika"[60] — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist

Title Year Album
"Maybes"[61]
(Giraffage featuring Japanese Breakfast)		 2017 Too Real

Contributions

  • Polyvinyl 4-Track Singles Series, Vol. 3 (two songs, 2042 and Posing in Bondage, 2017)

Music videos

  • "Everybody Wants To Love You" (2016)
  • "Jane Cum" (2016)
  • "In Heaven" (2016)
  • "Machinist" (2017)
  • "Road Head" (2017)
  • "The Body Is A Blade" (2017)
  • "Boyish" (2018)
  • "Be Sweet" (2021)
  • "Posing in Bondage" (2021)
  • "Savage Good Boy" (2021)

Notes

  1. ↑ Soft Sounds from Another Planet did not enter the US Billboard 200 but did peak at number 9 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.[40]
  2. ↑ Soft Sounds from Another Planet did not enter the NZ Top 40 Albums Chart, but peaked at number nine on the NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart.[41]
  3. ↑ "Be Sweet" did not enter the Ultratop Top 50, but spent 4 weeks as an extra tip on the Ultratop Bubbling Under chart.[47]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Peaks in Scotland:
    • Jubilee: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Peaks on the UK Independent Albums Chart:
    • Soft Sounds from Another Planet: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Jubilee: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

  • Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
  • Michelle Zauner on Bandcamp
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