Michelle Zauner, who performs under the moniker Japanese Breakfast, has had a wild couple of years. After the success of her 2021 album Jubilee and memoir Crying in H Mart (which spent 60 weeks on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list), Zauner moved to South Korea to study Korean at Sogang University’s Korean Language Education Center. While there, she also spent time working on her latest album, which released March 21. It's an excellent offering, and comes with a surprise Jeff Bridges guest vocal duet.
Like many great musicians before her, Zauner has crafted a unique album that is also a departure from her previous sound. Jubilee had some rockers on it, and its '80s influences were clear. For Melancholy Brunettes passes on the traditional rock elements and leans in to baroque pop (think Grizzly Bear). This is most clear on the album's lead single “Orlando in Love” (which has been playing on-air on Studio One for several weeks). As a whole, the album is very cohesive. And like some of the best records artists have produced, each song builds to the next track and weaves an album-length narrative in a way that singles can't.
“Honey Water” (Track 3) is arguably the most upbeat song musically on this offering. With its My Bloody Valentine guitar vibes it’s a standout track and I'd say is one of Japanese Breakfast's best songs to date. The song ends with a full-blown feedback-addled guitar solo that's pretty face melting compared to the rest of the album, which is rater delicate.
The end of “Honey Water” brings us to “Mega Circuit,” which was the second single released in advance of the full album. Coming off the intensity of “Honey Water” this track is more fully realized in the full album than it is as a single. It makes for a great one-two punch.
This is a short record, clocking in at 32 minutes. It packs a lot into its 10 tracks in that time. Zauner is a talented songwriter, and that’s fully on display here. With acts like Faye Webster and Clairo finding success in the same musical neighborhood as Japanese Breakfast, this record should cement Zauner as one of the voices that rises above the static of the crowded indie rock landscape. Songs like "Orlando in Love," "Little Girl," and "Picture Window" are proof that musically and lyrically she is a force to be reckoned with. After all, how many indie rock musicians have scored the aforementioned Jeff Bridges duet (which you get to hear as Track 8, “Men in Bars)”.
How this duet came to be has to be a great story. I couldn’t help but imagine Bridges (dressed like his Big Lebowski character The Dude) in the vocal booth while Zauner laid down those serious sad country vibes. This has to go down as one of the most unlikely team-ups of 2025, but it works!
Overall, the record is strong and rarely faulters. If you’re willing to go on a melancholy adventure, let Japanese Breakfast be your guide.
