“Arianators.” “Swifties.” At times like these, I wish us Japanese Breakfast fans had a nickname of our own. “Break-Heads?” “Brekkies?” It’s a shame because their new album “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)” has made me have immense pride in being a Japanese Breakfast fanatic.
When I found out that there was going to be a new Japanese Breakfast album, my excitement was palpable. I was on an Amtrak train travelling from Lancaster to New York, and I almost screamed and chucked my phone across the train car in excitement. In order to not look insane and to not get kicked off the train, I was forced to stare at my phone screen in silence and mentally count down the days to March 21, 2025. That day has come and passed, and I’ve listened to this album from start to finish around eight times.
“For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)” represents the best of what Japanese Breakfast has to offer. On first listen, I couldn’t help but think that it rivals “Jubilee” as the band’s best album, and “Jubilee” is arguably a top five album of mine. There are no skips for me on “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women),” but here are some of my highlights. Of course, I say this as a non-brunette and non-woman (although I tend to be melancholy and sad).
“Orlando in Love”
I’ve already written an entire review of “Orlando in Love,” so I won’t elaborate on it too much here. All I can say is that after hundreds of listens, the song is just as hypnotic, peaceful and tragic. The perfect lead single for the album.
“Honey Water”
This song is nothing but an absolute jam. While Japanese Breakfast excels in slower, more mellow ballads, they can hit rock heavy songs like “Diving Woman,” “Posing For Cars” and now “Honey Water” out of the park. As a rock fan, this may be my favorite song on the album, and when I listened to it for the first time, my first thought was that this song is absolutely phenomenal.
“Mega Circuit”
While I don’t like this song as much as “Orlando in Love,” “Mega Circuit” was the second single they released for the album. It’s a fun, country-ish song with catchy lyrics that has grown on me.
“Picture Window”
This song reminds me of “Be Sweet” from Japanese Breakfast’s last album, “Jubilee.” It’s fun and upbeat, but it rises above most pop songs with memorable lyrics like, “Are you not afraid of every waking moment/That your life could pass you by?” and “All of my ghosts are real.” Like many of the band’s lyrics, left alone they can almost be read as poetry.
“Men in Bars”
An unexpected Jeff Bridges feature is always welcome! “Men in Bars” is a cover of a song that lead singer Michelle Zauner wrote under the moniker of “BUMPER.” The song was also originally titled “Ballad 0.” While I like the rawness of “Ballad 0” a bit more, “Men in Bars” is still a beautiful song made memorable by the duet between Zauner and Bridges.
“Winter in LA”
While not about anything profound — a woman who loves the California sunshine — there is something innocent and beautiful about the song that keeps me coming back. Perhaps the simple lyrics and Zauner’s beautiful voice are enough to make this song more memorable than it ought to be.
I highly recommend listening to “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).” It’s arguably the best Japanese Breakfast album due to its wonderful lyrics, memorable instrumentals and Michelle Zauner’s amazing voice. While I’m no music expert, I can confidently say that this album is a masterpiece.
