The Japanese House breaks down her dreamy sophomore album In the End It Always Does

Amber Bain’s second album as the Japanese House is delivered to us today in a lush, balmy summer breeze. In the End It Always Does may be her most poignant work to date — a razor-sharp fusion of potent songwriting, rich instrumentation, and, above all, danceable beats that breathe new life into the sincerity of the project.

The 12-track album continues Bain’s collaboration with the 1975 drummer and producer George Daniel, who brings levity to the dreamy, and at times, sober, revelations of the 27-year-old. With big-name features like Matty Healy, Charli XCX, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and MUNA’s Katie Gavin, Bain truly shines in the moments of quiet. Her wispy, delicate vocals often do best on their own.

Read more: Joohoney has never been more free

From the terrors of writer’s block to the unruly engagements of sexting, In the End It Always Does explores the uncertain life after a breakup.

Tender, ever-curious, and decidedly hopeful, Bain breaks down her sophomore album for AP, letting us into the wild mind of the Japanese House.

“Spot Dog”

This song is obviously the intro to the album, but it was inspired by the song “A Beautiful Spring Day” by George Bruns that was on the soundtrack for 101 Dalmatians. My ex and I really loved that film as kids, and we used to bond over how much we loved it. So, I kind of wrote this one for her, and sonically it’s kind of a palette for the album. I feel like it explores all the avenues that I explore on the album: orchestral stuff, piano to like finger picky, Celtic vibes, and then kind of a weird electronic section. I think it was really me kind of experimenting with all the different directions I could go in on this album.

“Touching Yourself”

This one started off as sort of a sexy song about sexting. Obviously, if you’re a musician and tour all the time, you’re probably gonna end up sexting at some point if you want a love life. But then, the first verse is actually about feeling quite physically far away from someone and not being able to get to them and then the next verse becomes about actually not being able to get to them emotionally even though you’re right next to them. It’s just like, you can’t reach them. So, I kind of ended up using sexual language to reflect on a relationship overall.

“Sad to Breathe”

I wrote the first part as sort of a breakup song when I was with my ex Marika, but that was years and years ago and then I came back to it with this verse that kind of felt like an endearment to my past self. I think that’s why the music in the second half of the song sounds so positive because it’s almost me telling my past self that I will be okay.

“Over There”

BJ (Burton) sent me a loop he and Justin Vernon made for the initial keys part. And then basically, the song is about one of the members of the throuple leaving and realizing that I was kind of living her life, and she was meant to be there but now she doesn’t even take her coat off when she visits because she knows she’s not staying for long. It’s kind of about the poignancy of when you thought your life was gonna be with someone and it’s not. Bleak.

“Morning Pages”

I was really in a kind of creative rut. So, I decided to start reading that book The Artist’s Way. And I decided to do a morning pages, which is when you write three or five pages or something in the morning, and I actually only ever did one and this was it. It literally just poured out of me, and I turned it into a song. And it was just all the thoughts I was feeling at that time and the feeling that nothing was really fulfilling me, and I wasn’t really able to reach my partner that well. Then one day, I gave this girl I met a lift to the station and the random nature of that experience made me feel that life was exciting again, just for a moment. And I thought it was so funny that she’d go off on her train, but she’d have no idea that she actually made my day, and that I actually really needed that experience. 

“Boyhood”

Boyhood is kind of a mix of talking about the things that happen to you when you’re younger, and the kind of childhood that you live. Whether that ties in with gender, it ties in with trauma, it’s about how those things affect you and become part of you. They build who you are. And then, it’s also a conversation about searching for myself and trying to figure out how many things do I just accept and embrace? And how many of those things do I let go of? It’s just a song about accepting yourself and trying to find yourself, I guess.

“Indexical reminder of a morning well spent”

That is a quote from my girlfriend at the time. We were reading our books together in lockdown outside, and we were having a really nice morning. And then I accidentally got a fingerprint. I think I was eating jam on toast, and I got a fingerprint on her book. And I was like, “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. I just got a dirty fingerprint on your book.” And she was like, “Oh, well, it’s an indexical reminder of a morning well spent.” And I was kind of like, “…Did you just make that up? Are you some sort of genius or something?” And she said “Yeah, I just made that up.” And I was like, “What the fuck. Like, you’re a genius.” The song is just me talking about all those little things. It’s a snapshot of that time. Me watching videos again and again and again. And looking after my chicks, growing things in the garden, and just thinking about how alone I used to be and how I didn’t feel alone in those moments – and just exploring all of that.

“Friends”

This is a song about the initial stages of the throuple, and how exhilarating and fun and sexy that time period was. But also, how complex it is when you have not one but two girlfriends. The line, “Do I think about her more than you?” It’s like I was saying, “Do I think about her more than you think about her?” Or, “Do I think about her more than I think about you?” It’s just a weird balancing of emotion. But mainly, it’s a fun song about finding having two girlfriends kind of hot.

“Sunshine Baby”

I wrote the choruses for this song when I was still trying to make my relationship work. And I wrote the verses when it was kind of over. And I think, in a weird way, the song is about giving in to what’s happening. Whether that’s something not being perfect, or getting in to the fact that it has to end. And then that kind of euphoric outro is almost a complete resignation – just lying back in the sun being like, “Okay, it is what it is.” And sometimes, that can feel euphoric in itself. It’s definitely one of my favorite songs that we’ve worked on.

“Baby goes again”

This one is actually one of my all-time favorites. This is one that me and Chloe (Kraemer) did so quickly. And the production of it I just really love. It’s about the feeling of being nearly on to something and having it all figured out and then — whoops – something pops up again. And it’s kind of an apology song in a lot of ways, and it talks about the circle. It’s like, okay, I’m making the same mistakes and going around in circles, but at least I keep coming back, you know?

“You always get what you want”

This song George (Daniel) and Chloe and I did in one day. It’s a song I actually wrote when I was 17 when my girlfriend at the time left me for a boy. So, it’s kind of like a shit talk song. Which is funny because she’s actually my best friend in the entire world now. And we joke that ever since I wrote that song, she’s been cursed and things always go wrong for her. But, I don’t think that’s true. She’s really happy now. So hopefully, she has gotten what she wants. That song was very different when I first initially recorded it, it’s actually really embarrassing to listen to, but I’m glad that we gave it another shot because I love what it is now. And, I think it kind of has that sort of Celtic influence, and with the guitars it kind of has country vibes in a weird way. And also, I’m really proud of them for putting that triangle in there!

“One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones”

This song is obviously about the end of a relationship. It’s that moment when you’re kind of realizing that even though this relationship was such a huge staple part of your life, you’re just going to move on from it, like everything else. And that, in itself, is quite sad. I guess it’s also about the love and stability you get from the love of a dog. I don’t think enough songs are written about dogs, and this little dog (Joni Jones) really just gets me. I just feel like she really improves my life by so much, and she just makes me a better person. I find it really easy to regulate myself when I’m with her. So, it’s kind of a both a breakup song, and also a love song to Joni.