When she was growing up, Amber Bain figured she would be a politician. After her father started teaching her music, she opted to forgo college and eventually met The 1975’s Matty Healy, who helped her establish a name for herself under the moniker The Japanese House.
Nearly a decade later, as Bain soulfully sings to crowds that chant her lyrics right back to her, she and anyone who gives her a chance all know she made the right choice.
The Japanese House, her one-woman show, released four EPs before her 2019 critically acclaimed debut LP, Good at Falling, co-produced by the likes of BJ Burton and The 1975’s George Daniel, emerged. She released her fifth EP, Chewing Cotton Wool, in August 2020 amid COVID-19. Across five years and six bodies of work, though, she hasn’t lost sight of her adept indietronica concoction of glitchy synths, heavily reverbed guitars and androgynous vocals, the last of which led some to initially believe The Japanese House was Healy’s experiment.
It’s clear Bain has only gotten started, but she’s already given us so much to appreciate that it’s time to acknowledge and rank all 33 of her masterful songs thus far.
33. “went to meet her (intro)” (Good at Falling)
While Bain’s vocal layering is typically nothing short of commendable, it’s a bit too extreme here to the point it’s hard to understand what she’s saying at times. It’s a decent start to the album, nonetheless, and the way it seamlessly transitions into “Maybe You’re The Reason” is absurdly good.
32. “Pools To Bathe In” (Pools To Bathe In EP)
While the track starts off on a spectacular note — as an acoustic guitar and a synth that resembles the feeling of achieving euphoria for the first time in months manifest themselves — it all crumbles when it reaches the instrumental break. It was most likely done intentionally to echo how Bain has reached her low point, realizing she wants out of her relationship, but it’s too off-putting with such a remarkable opening.
31. “3/3” (Saw You In A Dream EP)
This track is seemingly about singer Marika Hackman, who Bain was in a relationship with at the time, due to the mention of “the mole on (her) cheek.” Bain felt as if she gave all of herself to Hackman, being there for her when she was down and not feeling any of that being reciprocated. The opening synths mirror that of an assortment of ancient blowing instruments, and they just don’t fit.
30. “Dionne (feat. Justin Vernon)” (Chewing Cotton Wool EP)
A collaboration between Bain and Bon Iver’s frontman sounds like a dream, but the end result was a bit underwhelming. There’s simply too much going on during Vernon’s chorus that you can’t even choose something to focus on, because it’s impossible: it’s difficult to tell what he’s saying unless you have the lyrics right in front of you, and his vocals don’t mesh well with the excessively glitchy production. The lyric “Your past becomes present if it’s always on your mind” is phenomenal, though.
29. “Sister” (Pools To Bathe In EP)
If the instrumentation between the 2:45 and 3:03 marks was used for the entire duration, this track would be ranked a lot higher — because those 18 seconds of feel-good guitars and wavy synths, almost like embarking on a tropical vacation, are pure bliss. The rest of it, however, is fairly bland, with Bain’s beautiful lyrics of inner struggle having to pick up the slack.
28. “Sugar Pill” (Clean EP)
Ever felt like people only interact with you when they’re bored and then leave when they find something else? Bain definitely has. “Sugar Pill” is her complete divulgence of dejection, pitifully revealing: “I feel flimsy when I grin, like a stretched out piece of skin.” While the track contains some of her best lyrics to date, the production is a little too here and there.
27. “Marika Is Sleeping” (Good at Falling)
You guessed it: Hackman was asleep next to Bain while she wrote this. She dives into her then-girlfriend’s mind, watching how much she’s grown and changed since they initially got together. While the string arrangement is heavenly, it is just the same verse repeated three times, after all.
26. “i saw you in a dream” (Good at Falling)
Yes, this is a different/acoustic version of “Saw You In A Dream,” which will be discussed much higher in the ranking. Despite its melancholy theme of being visited by a past partner Bain is still in love with, the track somehow doesn’t sync as well with the zipping desolate synths and subtle acoustic guitar.
25. “Still” (Pools To Bathe In EP)
Even on her first track under The Japanese House, Bain didn’t hold back from giving it everything she has. Lush synths swim back and forth as Bain tells her significant other she knows they both realize their relationship isn’t as worthwhile as it once was, and there’s nothing they can do to fix it. The moody is fittingly dreary.
24. “Sharing Beds” (Chewing Cotton Wool EP)
It doesn’t even reach the two-minute runtime, but “Sharing Beds” sets the standard for how production should be done. Piano keys shimmer and synths furrow as Bain opens up about her feelings being in a polyamorous relationship. The synths die off, leaving the piano to trickle and consume our minds.
23. “Everybody Hates Me” (Good at Falling)
After cutting ties with her partner, Bain can’t see the good in anything anymore. Her vocals aren’t layered in the verses and, needless to say, her voice on its own is gorgeous. As her layered vocals swirl with the glitchy soundscape of synths and simplistic keys, though, you can almost begin to feel yourself float.
22. “Letter By The Water” (Clean EP)
Bain loves to implement visions of water in her work, and this track is blatantly no different. Realizing her romantic love for this unknown person will never be returned, Bain has decided to let the water take her away — or at least wash her pain away. The note she hits in the last rendition of the chorus is too perfect.
21. “Lilo” (Good at Falling)
No, she’s not talking about Stitch here. A lilo is a mattress that peacefully floats in water, which is how Bain saw her significant other at the genesis of their relationship. Now it seems the lilo is floating away, and all she wants to do is follow her, but she can’t do that forever. The imagery stands out among everything with this track.
20. “Count To Nine” (Saw You In A Dream EP)
Far and away the longest song in her discography at exactly nine minutes, “Count To Nine” is Amber’s recognition of how toxic her ex was, as they used to put the blame on her and claim she’s the crazy one when they instigated all of it. Orchestral swells, jubilant keys, intricate and intense vocal layering and a synth that almost seems to be counting down the final minutes of your life all join forces to create a long but worthwhile journey to paradise.
19. “somethingfartoogoodtofeel” (Good at Falling)
The first verse contains only a simple strum of the guitar and Bain’s stripped-down vocals, and even though we’re used to more adventurous openings, this one is modest but perfect. It explodes in the chorus with floating harmonies, roaring drums and a subtle bass, but it works since, by then, we’re introduced to her predicament: following her breakup, Bain feels nothing, as if that entire relationship was too good to be true.
18. “You Seemed so Happy” (Good at Falling)
Bain takes a step away from the synths, except briefly during the bridge, for the misleading “You Seemed so Happy.” Groovy bass, uplifting strums of the acoustic guitar and faint drumming take charge as Bain disguises her sorrowful lyrics of faking her happiness and going through the motions with cheerful production. Put simply: listen to the lyrics if you want to cry, but listen to the instrumentation if you want to dance.
17. “Good side in” (Swim Against the Tide EP)
Is that a Febreze bottle spraying in the chorus? We may never know, but it’s executed incredibly well. Bain doesn’t want to risk hurting her partner or herself, so she doesn’t fight back when they get into arguments, only delivering “a light hit.” The instrumental bridge is a synth wonderland.
16. “We Talk all the Time” (Good at Falling)
Bain and Hackman’s relationship has come to an end, and even though they’re obviously not being intimate with each other anymore, they’re still best friends. The bass finds a way to seep into our minds while synths bounce off the walls, and it somehow works to create one of her grooviest songs to date.
15. “Leon” (Swim Against the Tide EP)
Though Bain usually writes about her own heartbreak, she took inspiration from the 1994 film León: The Professional and writes in the perspective of Mathilda, its protagonist. Mathilda had a crush on Leon in the film, but since she was 12 and he’s an adult, their relationship didn’t go any farther than accomplices, to her dismay. Now, all grown up, she just longs for him. It’s a gorgeous track with synths that resemble DJ scratches and heavenly vocal layering taking center stage.
14. “Teeth” (Pools To Bathe In EP)
Love is portrayed in the media as being the solution to all the harm in the world, but Bain tells it straight: despite what people may think, love and pain often intersect. It’s come to the point where their relationship — though feelings are still there — has begun to feel like “a kick in the teeth.” Lots of reverb and ethereal synths combine to make it feel like a dreamy experience, but the heavy lyrics bring you back to Earth and punch you square in the face.
13. “Clean” (Clean EP)
It’s voice manipulation like you’ve never seen from Bain in the intro, so much it doesn’t even sound like her. Once the hook emerges, though, we’re reintroduced with her tenderly layered vocals as she apologizes for all the hurtful things she did to her friend. The hook and bridge combine near the end, and it’s a masterly blend of programmed drums, harmonies and synths.
12. “Maybe You’re the Reason” (Good at Falling)
It’s a shame “Maybe You’re the Reason” hasn’t made it to the radio because it’s undoubtedly worthy of it and has all the key ingredients: an infectious hook, stunning vocals and drums that are to die for. Maybe the problem is it’s talking about how nothing really matters in the end (except the way her girlfriend made her feel), but that’s life, right? The instrumental break is one for the ages, too: the synths stretch to the end of the stratosphere, grab listeners by the hand and guide them to the promised land.
11. “Wild” (Good at Falling)
As Bain reveals she’s “watching (her)self go” in the chorus via dissociation, you might begin to feel your body begin to levitate and dissociate itself, as airy synths spin in and out and take over the senses. It’s painful to know what Bain is going through, but the production is so satisfying that it’s easy to forget the dark theme.
10. “f a r a w a y” (Good at Falling)
No, your brain isn’t fooling you: that indeed is Healy on backing vocals in the chorus, merging flawlessly with Bain. When she’s away from her partner, like when she’s touring, she just wants the space to evaporate and for them to be reunited. The synths make it almost feel like you’re on a foreign planet, which makes the concept of being away seem even more real.
9. “Somebody you found” (Saw You In A Dream EP)
Bain is the queen of masking despondent lyrics with funky production, and “Somebody you found” is no different. She can feel things changing between Hackman and her, but she knows this was inevitable because she figured Hackman settled for her, not that she was someone she was looking for. The synths and groovy guitar will make you forget all the sadness in the world.
8. “Face Like Thunder” (Swim Against the Tide EP)
After having a fight with her partner and not being able to find the right words to say to make it better before they left, Bain is slipping and feels more alone than ever. You can tell Daniel helped produce the track — because it has that subtle and incredibly infectious, blissful funk for which The 1975 is known and admired.
7. “Chewing Cotton Wool” (Chewing Cotton Wool EP)
For once, Bain doesn’t try to disguise her sadness with upbeat instrumentation. “Chewing Cotton Wool” is incredibly dreary in all aspects, from the monotonous, eerie keys to the waves of downcast synths to the lyrics about how everywhere she goes, her ex always follows. Every line starts with “she” or “and” because she’s all that ever comes to mind, no matter what she’s doing. Don’t click play unless you want to fall into a pit of despair.
6. “Saw You In A Dream” (Saw You In A Dream EP)
Now we’re back. It’s the same as “i saw you in a dream” lyrically, but the perfectly done harmonies floating around, the subdued guitar, the happier feeling somehow work immensely better than the acoustic version, even though it’s an incredibly gloomy track.
5. “Something Has to Change” (Chewing Cotton Wool EP)
Even though this single dropped before COVID-19 ripped the world apart, it hits differently since we’ve all been reliving the same day over and over again, and we’re all begging for a change. Spacey synths back Bain’s smooth vocals as she pleads for an end to the repetition and, honestly, it’s the most cathartic track to listen to while in quarantine.
4. “Follow My Girl” (Good at Falling)
Are you looking for music that’ll make you over-analyze everything in your life? Look no further than “Follow My Girl.” Bain doesn’t hold back for a second, starting the track off with *“Different people have their different ways of living / I chose mine, and it was unforgiving.” Alongside intriguing synths, compelling drums and a subtle saxophone, Bain’s voice sounds like pure magic, and it will lead you to a place where you can ponder as you please.
3. “Swim Against the Tide” (Swim Against the Tide EP)
The intro, with its bright drums, sounds like a lovely day on a Hawaiian beach, a slight breeze running its course, the sun beating down while the waves melt right in front of you. This was most likely exactly what Bain was going for, too, since she’s using the metaphor of water once again. Intricate guitars come in during the chorus, as Bain pleads to her ex that she doesn’t believe they’re over her, and she needs them to prove they are. The track ends with a brief instrumental that puts the cherry on top of an already perfect track.
2. “Worms” (Good at Falling)
If you’re in need of a long overdue synth-pop dream that’ll catapult you to a state of pure motivation, “Worms” has you covered. The track reflects on feeling the need to find lifelong love because of outside pressures, but Bain wants to make sure you “invest yourself in something worth investing in.” Thought-provoking synths help carry the insightful words, and it’s a track that deserves a lot more attention.
1. “Cool Blue” (Clean EP)
The only thing 13 Reasons Why has done right is include “Cool Blue” on its soundtrack. As Bain has entered a new relationship, her partner has brought her a feeling of reassurance that she’s worthy of loving and being loved in return. You can even hear the rain outside her window, a calming sensation for some, as she ponders on how renewed she feels after receiving this type of love. Bass slithers around the guitar as Bain’s soothing vocals make way, and it’s one of the most pacifying tracks in existence because not only is it a chill vibe we all need, but it’s a great reminder that we all will obtain the love we deserve someday.
