Adam KennyJapanese Breakfast, fronted by Michelle Zauner, has become one of the most prolific and beloved indie acts of the late 2010s and 2020s. Jubilee, released in 2021, was on many people’s AOTY upon release. In that same year, Michelle went on to create the soundtrack for Sable. A cell shaded indie game whos soundtrack I spent many hours working to.
Before any of this however, Japanese Breakfast entered my consciousness in 2018. College. Stressed out of my mind. Jumping between Vampire Weekend and Weezer. Deadlines piling up. Summer sun hitting my eyes as they’re already dry from my laptop screen. Summer was a blur that year. In my mind, it was gorgeous. The sun was splitting rocks. I remember the sky being so, so, so blue. A taunting colour at the time as I was sick of looking at the white and grey of my computer lab. I jumped onto the web, browsing Reddit and Rate Your Music for an album to take me outside. I had many recommendations that day, but the one that caught my eye was Psychopomp.
Bringing death into the morning
The first thing that stuck out to me was the album cover. A blurry photo of two kids reaching out to the camera. Sun beaming on their faces. A nostalgia captured that I’ve never experienced.
Psychopomp is one of my favourite summer albums to come back to every year. As the years go on, so too do the memories and nostalgia of 2018. Psychopomp is a classic mix of dream pop and shoegaze. Leaning more towards the dreamy than it is the gazey. The debut album for Michelle under the Japanese Breakfast name. A contradicting existence, as I associate the album with Summer, but I imagine Michelle does not share the same reverence. Psychopomp is a heavy handed album that deals with multitudes of grief and regrets. The cover for me being some easy grasp at summer nostalgia, when in reality it’s Michelles mother whom sadly passed away in 2014. A window into a memory no one remembers any more.
Blue sky, short day
Pyschopomp is short and sweet. Clocking in at no more than 25 minutes. The opening track of the, “In Heaven”, is a dream pop track that has some hints of bedroom pop that goes through the practical aftermath of ones passing. Clearing the shelves of their belongings while you grasp with the fact you’ll never experience the simple things with them ever again. The resounded and uncompromising belief that a parent has in you being gone from this world. Grappling with the logistics of a death whilst trying to understand the idea of believing someone has truly moved on to Heaven in a dreamy, bordering on kaleidoscopic manner that you can’t believe.
“The Woman That Loves You” drifts in with these mesmerising guitars riffs that I don’t want to end. Sounding like something you’d hear at 1am at night, Michelle adds that sobering afternoon reality check that she excels in. The music is dreamy, evoctive and addicting. Lyrically, however, a desperate plea for someone to act with love towards her. “You should try to do as little harm as you can to the woman that loves you” said in a obvious tone, as though it’s common sense. Sadly, a sense that is not commonly shared even by those we believe would act on it with ease.
Lyrically heavy, sonically breezy
Psychopomp has a fascinating ability to make the most heart wrenching, eye opening memories and impossible to parse emotions be these catchy and memorable songs that stick with you. “Rugged Country” for instance, is one of the catchiest tracks on the album. A hook that lingers and melody that sticks with you. Lyrically, there’s noose references. Even the album’s title, Psychopomp, evokes this pumped up energy when in reality it’s referencing a deity that helps souls make their way to the afterlife. These subtle disguises are what bring the album together to create this easy breazy melodes, whilst having some of the most honest lyrics you’ll hear in a long time.
Pyschopomp is a misleading album that’s full of hits. “Everybody Wants to Love You” is a wonderful change of pace. A catchy, upbeat track that is blunt and doesn’t have disparring lyrics that leave you in ruins. Questions are being blasted at someone throughout the song. Wondering are they going to do the bare minimum, and what is the bare minimum? Bringing them breakfast in bed? Or pleasing them as much as they physically want?
Overall
Pyschopomp is not a perfect album. Some of the tracks I’ve mentioned border on being classics for me. Then you get songs like “Heft” which I find forgettable and one note. The last third of the album struggles in comparison the strong, and bordering on overwhealimg two thirds before that. With that said, overall, Psychopomp remains to be one of my favourite Summer albums. It’s heartbreaking, dreary and at times, lyrically difficult to identify with what should be such a relaxing time. However, sonically and visually it reeks of summer to me. The dream pop melodies with the shoegaze fuzz just screams 11pm in June. A beer in hand. Humidity insanely high. Mood, contemplative but honest. I can’t wait to revisit it at the dead of night, and the life of day.
