Album Review: Japanese Breakfast - 'For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)'
For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) by Japanese Breakfast: an intimate look on melancholy and the recurrent thought of leaving it all behind.
Michelle Zauner, frontwoman of the indie band Japanese Breakfast, is no stranger to personal and emotional exploration through her songs. In their fourth album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), the band moves away from the radiant and almost utopian energy of Jubilee and returns to an earlier contemplative and sadder sound similar to their sophomore record, Soft Sounds from Another Planet. Produced by Blake Mills and inspired by melancholy and European romanticism, this album is rich and deeply introspective, with haunting emotional themes and mythological beauty.
The album opens with "Here Is Someone", a career highlight that feels like stepping into a dream. It’s filled with ethereal strings and gentle woodwinds reminiscent of classical art. The orchestral arrangement accompanying Zauner’s soft voice, welcomes listeners to an experience filled with sadness and themes such as toxic masculinity, grief, love, and the recurrent thought of leaving it all behind.
"Orlando in Love", the lead single of the record draws direct inspiration from Matteo Maria Boiardo’s unfinished 15th-century poem Orlando Innamorato, and from Virginia Woolf’s Orlando: A Biography, in which the protagonist Orlando is a nobleman who undergoes a complete transformation from male to female, living for centuries through experiences of love and loss. The slow and steady rhythm builds the scene as Zauner sings about the death of Orlando, lured into the sea by the call of a siren, believed to symbolize his feminine identity.
Throughout the album, Zauner explores both personal themes as well as the universal through many literary references. "Mega Circuit" is an upbeat track that follows a “shuffle groove” and serves as a commentary on toxic masculinity, with its imagery of "incel eunuchs" and "barreling ’round the mega circuit". It directly contrasts the haunting "Little Girl", which has a similar melody to their 2017 track “Till Death”. It is a slow and delicate track about tragic unrequited love from a father's perspective.
The production on For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) is as delicate as it is complex, soundtracked by long reverbs, guitars, and orchestral elements. The track "Honey Water", charged with distorted guitars, is the most violent song on the record, giving the listener a sense of unease as Zauner sings about a lover’s unfaithfulness. Meanwhile, "Leda", one of the most quiet tracks, explores the mythological story of Zeus and Leda through modern relationships, heartbreak and control. According to the myth, Zeus was captivated by recently married Leda's beauty, appearing before her in the form of a swan and seducing, raping and impregnating her. Zauner sings “They say only love can change a man but all that changes is me" offering a glimpse into the repercussions of heartbreak on women.
The album, while maintaining its sonic cohesiveness, also includes a few standout nods to other genres. "Winter in LA" channels the cinematic style of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, with the devastating lyrics “I wish you had a happier woman/ One that could leave the house/ Someone who loves the sun”. "Here Is Someone" is a folk-inspired ballad reminiscent of the slower Fleetwood Mac tracks. And “Men in Bars”, a reimagination of Zauner’s old song “Ballad O”, is a country duet featuring Jeff Bridges.
The closing track, "Magic Mountain," offers some type of closure to the themes of the album, with Zauner contemplating change and transformation, singing: "Once the fever subsides/ I’ll return to the flatlands/ a new man, a new man”. The lyrics embrace the melancholy that surrounds us as a tool for growth and rebirth, tracking back to the themes of “Orlando in Love” and the faith of the poet.
For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) is at its core a reflective record on the fame and personal struggles which Zauner has gone through since the release of both her critically acclaimed 2X GRAMMY nominated record Jubilee and her New York Times best-selling memoir Crying in H-Mart. While it might not be as sonically exciting as Jubilee, it's meant to serve as a healing experience for Zauner and an intimate look on melancholy and modern womanhood through the best lyrics she’s written in her career.
Words by Marcos Sanoja
