International alt-pop darling The Japanese House (the acclaimed project of Amber Bain) has released her new single “:)” aka Smiley Face. Produced alongside close collaborators George Daniel (The 1975) and Chloe Kraemer (Rina Sawayama, FKA twigs, Rex Orange County), the country-tinged, unabashed ode to happiness finds Amber letting her anxieties take a backseat and arrives in the midst of her North American Summer Headline Tour as well as a string of dates supporting Maggie Rogers on her Don’t Forget Me Tour. PRESS HERE to listen to “:)” and HERE for tickets (full routing below).
“‘Smiley Face’ is a song I wrote when I was very excited about talking to someone off a dating app,” said The Japanese House. “She lived in Detroit, and I was fantasising about flying to meet her. I was in a session at the time for someone else’s stuff, but I couldn’t help this song spilling out of me, I was in some sort of frenzy. Turns out I did buy the plane tickets, now we’re engaged.”
“🙂” marks the artist’s first single since the release of her critically acclaimed 2023 album, In the End It Always Does, a collection of songs that found The Japanese House embracing her pop-side like never before. In addition to her summer tour dates, The Japanese House is also playing major festivals including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Osheaga, Hinterland, All Things Go and more – the follow up to her recent standout performances at Coachella and Bonnaroo.
The Japanese House is an alternative pop star for the modern age who is serving up vulnerable lyrics and down to earth, celestial songs. Her lauded sophomore album, In The End It Always Does, highlights heartbreak and love lost as well as emotional reflections on childhood trauma and identity, with help from Matty Healy and George Daniel (The 1975), Katie Gavin (MUNA), Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Charli XCX among others. The Japanese House’s intimate, unique sound has propelled her to hundreds of millions of streams, an appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk, and major media praise from NPR, The New York Times, Associated Press, Billboard, Rolling Stone, WWD, Playboy, GQ, i-D, The Fader, Pitchfork and more. In The End It Always Does follows the artist’s 2020 EP Chewing Cotton Wool and debut Good At Falling (2019).
For more information, please visit thejapanesehouse.co.uk.
(“:)” Single Art)
THE JAPANESE HOUSE HEADLINE DATES
June 21 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham #
July 26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
July 27 – New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17
July 28 – McKees Rocks, PA @ Roxian Theatre
July 29 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
July 31 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
August 6 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
August 7 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union +
August 11 – Portland, OR @ Pioneer Courthouse Square +
August 12 – Seattle, WA @ Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheater +
August 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre Co-Headline with Del Water Gap +
September 24 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena $
+ Skullcrusher
# Miya Folick
* Abby Holliday
$ with Vance Joy
REMAINING DATES SUPPORTING MAGGIE ROGERS
June 19 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park
June 20 – Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium
June 22 – Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park
FESTIVAL DATES
August 1 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
August 2 –Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
August 4 – Saint Charles, IA @ Hinterland Music Festival
August 9 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
August 23 – 25 – Leeds, UK and Reading, Berkshire @ Reading and Leeds Festival
September 28, 2024 – Washington, DC @ All Things Go Festival
Praise for The Japanese House
“‘In the End It Always Does,’ Amber Bain’s second album as The Japanese House, strikes a beautiful equilibrium. Bain is at her best when she’s embracing a sense of playfulness, winking as subtly as she cries, sashaying between humor and hurt.” – Pitchfork
“Flickering synth-pop … which pairs smooth sonic surfaces and effervescent electronic flourishes with her yearning, achingly human vocals.” – The New York Times
“witty, darkly beautiful, buoyantly playful and all-around gorgeous, often all at once.” – NPR
“a sweetly melancholic chronicle of a cycle of falling in and out of love, and a celebration of the dog who got her through it.” – Associated Press
“Amber Bain is more honest and open than ever on her new record. Despite the serious subject matter, ‘In the End It Always Does’ is Bain at her poppiest; I dare you to find a catchier hook than on the chorus of album standout ‘Touching Yourself.’” – Nylon
“Bain examines the cycles of her love life with surgical precision, and through the lens of some impeccably-crafted indie-pop.” – Rolling Stone
“The whole album is a hypnotic fantasy, Amber Mary Bain’s vocals breezy and mesmeric against fluttering instrumentation.” – UPROXX
“Her most poignant work to date — a razor-sharp fusion of potent songwriting, rich instrumentation, and, above all, danceable beats that breathe new life into the sincerity of the project.” – Alternative Press
“The music spans from funk-inflected pop to more naturalistic folk and country-esque arrangements, all highlighted by Bain’s warm, versatile vocals.” – CONSEQUENCE
“meticulously-crafted indie synth-pop” – Billboard
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