Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) – Album Review
by Cathy Brown

Michelle Zauner, the creative force behind Japanese Breakfast, has never been one to shy away from the raw edges of emotion, and with her fourth studio album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), she creates a sonic landscape that feels both timeless and strikingly fresh. Following the technicolour joy of 2021’s Grammy-nominated Jubilee, this latest offering presents a moodier, more introspective Zauner. Produced by Blake Mills, – who has worked with Feist and Weyes Blood – this album is a masterful blend of cinematic instrumentation and lyrical depth that cements Japanese Breakfast as one of the most compelling acts in music today.

From the opening track, “Here Is Someone,” there’s an immediate sense of stepping into a world that’s both expansive and intimate. With its Laurel Canyon-inspired layers of acoustic guitars, flutes, and strings, it feels like a nod to the folk-rock icons of the ‘70s—think Neil Young or Joni Mitchell—yet it’s unmistakably modern, wrapped in Zauner’s ethereal vocals. It’s a gentle invitation into an album that unfolds with a strong narrative drive. “Orlando in Love,” the lead single – an ode to the 68 and a half epic cantos of Renaissance poet Matteo Maria Boiardo – shimmers with a bittersweet ache, its melody buoyed by intricate guitar work and a restless energy that hints at love’s fleeting nature.

“Winter in LA,” has production that nods to Phil Spector and the Beach Boys, creating a love letter to classic American pop, albeit one tinged with a melancholic chill. “Men in Bars,” a reworking of an older track from her Bumper days, becomes a languid, country-tinged ballad with Jeff Bridges adding vocal harmonies—an unexpected but delightful touch that speaks to her enjoyment of the unusual. Meanwhile, “Picture Window” is propelled by bluesy pedal steel, tying the album’s earthier roots to its more atmospheric ambitions.

Zauner’s voice, as ever, is the anchor—airy yet weighted with feeling, skimming over arrangements that shift from ambient swells to country-inflected twang. The production here is a triumph, rich with depth and atmosphere, thanks to Mills’ deft touch and the album’s recording at Sound City in Los Angeles—a space steeped in musical history. She wears the melancholy of the album title lightly, but do not let Zauner’s sweet vocals and the shimmering arrangements fool you; there is grit, depth and real musical maturity behind the surface beauty of this record all executed with an infectious and irresistible openness.

Zauner’s songwriting is as strong as it’s ever been and there is a maturity to the album, a willingness to let the songs breathe and unfold, that makes this feel like her most accomplished work to date. For fans of Japanese Breakfast, this album is a gift—a bold, beautifully realized step forward that doesn’t forsake the moody heart that always beats at the core of Zauner’s music. For newcomers, it’s a perfect entry point into her world: a tapestry of sub-genres, from folk to indie pop, ambient to rock, all stitched together by that unmistakable voice.