A Review of For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) by Japanese Breakfast

Introduction

 Despite being strawberry blonde and a man, I thoroughly enjoyed Listening to For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women). I've listened to and enjoyed all of Japanese Breakfast's albums so far and I was glad to find out that their latest release was no exception. I choose this album mainly because I was listening to it as I was reading the project instructions and thought it lined up to perfectly not to do it. I also chose it because I find joy in sharing music I like to others. Below is a video of Japanese Breakfast performing a song off of their new album live on The Tonight Show.

Description

For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) is the latest release from the indie pop band Japanese Breakfast. Its their fourth full length album. the band is lead creatively by the lead singer Michelle Zauner, who is also famous for her book Crying in H Mart. She was born in South Korea and raised in Eugene Oregon. Japanese Breakfast started as a solo project of Zauner's in 2013. She began recording songs outside of her other band Little Big League. She released her first album, Psychopomp, about her mothers passing in 2016. Soon after Peter Bradly, Deven Craig and Craig Hendrix joined her making Japanese Breakfast a band. In 2017 they released their second album, Soft Sounds from Another Planet. As part of a promotion for the album they released a free to play video game where the band has to fight off an alien invasion. It also distracted me for 35 minutes while doing research. They realesed Jubilee in 2021 which received wide critical acclaim. In 2022 they were nominated for two Grammys: best new artist and best alternative album for their third LP Jubilee. That then leads us back to For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) which was released in 2025 this past march. A fun fact about this album is that the song "Men in Bars" features Jeff Bridges. Yes, the same Jeff Bridges from The Big Lebowski.

Analysis 

As the names would suggest, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) and their previous album Jubilee have very different feelings to them yet they are both unmistakably Japanese Breakfast. They both have Zauner's signature soothing voice softly singing her sad yet smart lyrics, but their latest album is more of a return to the slower somber sound of the bands earlier projects. Different from their earlier albums For Melancholy Brunettes has a more produced and polished sound as opposed to the home studio, almost lo-fi sound their first two records had. They even start to have a slight shoegaze edge on their newest LP with songs like "Honey Water" featuring droning guitars with heavy effects.

Interpretation

Japanese Breakfast has always been an important voice for many groups. Zauner has shared her experiences as a woman, a member of the LGBTQ+, and a Asian American. For example the song "Everybody Wants to Love you" is a longing love song about wanting an idyllic relationship with another woman. She also frequently talks about mental health and internal struggles. The song "Picture Window" off their newest album is about the worry and paranoia she has of her loved ones suddenly passing even if its unrealistic and how it started when she lost people close to her. Its also about the struggles of haling that anxiety in a relationship where the other person doesn't understand her worries. 

Photo by Amy Harris

The target Audience of For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) might seem pretty straight forward since the title is literally stating who the target audience is, but I think, like all music, its for anyone who will listen. A lot of the emotional tones and feelings Zauner shares are familiar to a wide range of humans, not just women and those with darker hair, though a lot of the sentiments are probably shared more commonly by women. There are a lot of relationships represented by the songs where the men fall short and treat the women in their lives poorly. In "Honey Water" Zauner writes about her feelings after being cheated on by a man. The song "Little Girl" is about a drunk absent father. Despite all the male figures acting in poor ways I feel like she understands them, or at least has some sympathy for them, and understands that only hurt people hurt people.

Evaluation

I really enjoyed this album. Its strengths lie in its soft bittersweet tone throughout the songs. To me its like a warm sonic breeze that carries the scent of a long forgotten childhood memory. I could be bias since I've listened to a lot of Japanese Breakfast in my life and in some ways they make me feel nostalgic but I still think it deserves a full listen through. It doesn't top their first album Psychopomp (that would be very hard to do) and lacks some belting and power from her voice I would've loved to hear. I like a warm breeze but sometimes you need a strong gust of wind and rain to knock you off your feet. 

From what I've seen the critics pretty much agree with me. They liked the album, maybe a little less than I did, but wanted something more from it. They also agreed that the bands previous records are better. The famous YouTube music critic Anthony Fantano gave the album a 7/10.

Engagement 

In terms of Japanese Breakfast media presence it seems pretty standard for a musician/band. They're on all the major platforms, Instagram, Tick Tock, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. On these accounts they promote their new music and projects. I saw on their Instagram that they are making a song for an upcoming A24 movie. On their YouTube they have many music videos and some live performances. The Japanese website is pretty well made with cool graphic design based of their newest albums cover. They have their tour dates, their merch, links to their socials, links to stream their music. Just all the basic stuff you expect from a bands website. 

Summary

I enjoyed looking into one of my favorite bands a little bit more and thinking about their album more in depth. I learned a lot about the band I didn't know, For example the fact that Michelle Zauner is from Eugene. I would read about some of the venues she played at when she was first starting to perform and kept thinking excitedly, "I've been there!" I also learned more about what the songs on the album really mean and what she was trying to convey with her lyrics. I hope I listen to more albums with a more critical mind after this and I can't wait for the next Japanese Breakfast album.