A selection of Japanese Breakfast’s favourite songs
Michelle Zauner has always demonstrated a knack for writing eloquently about those closest to her. Under her own name, she published a touching memoir entitled Crying at H Mart that reckoned with the loss of her mother and processed the relationship she had with her from childhood until her death in 2014. Her music with indie pop group Japanese Breakfast has also always worn its heart on its sleeve, often praised for its bold and confessional lyrics.
Raised in Eugene, Oregon, before relocating to Philadelphia to pursue a career in music with her first band, Little Big League, Zauner and Japanese Breakfast have now become a major export of the city over the course of three critically acclaimed studio albums.
With the group managing to float between dreamy sophisti-pop and shoegaze on their records, their contribution to the Philly scene has not gone unnoticed. With the vast range of other acts pursuing their own different sounds, they add another layer to an already musically rich city.
In the lead-up to the release of their third album Jubilee, Zauner opened up about some of the records that were a source of inspiration and wonder around the time, with releases coming from many acts that she shares a close relationship with as well as others that simply resonated with her for their artistic ambition.
Beginning with the two picks from her home city, she acknowledges the importance of Mannequin Pussy and Spirit of the Beehive as being two of Philadelphia’s strongest working acts. Her praise for Mannequin Pussy vocalist Missy Dabice, a close friend of Zauner’s, was glowing, as she claimed that Dabice is “the greatest frontwoman of our time”, while singling out the song ‘Control’ from their 2021 EP Perfect. While Mannequin Pussy are most commonly acknowledged as being a punk group, the song opens the EP with a more melodic and jangly approach that sounds akin to the sound of Japanese Breakfast’s early records before it erupts into a wall of pounding drums and guitars.
Her love of Spirit of the Beehive is also palpable, noting how Zach Schwarz’s production work on their album ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH is full of boundless creativity and that she’ll be “quick to check out” anything he works on. The album’s disorienting four-part epic ‘I SUCK THE DEVIL’S COCK’ was noted in particular for it’s adventurous nature, and while their influence is perhaps less noticeable on Zauner’s songwriting, the band continue to play a vital role in Philadelphia’s experimental scene.
Zauner also chose songs from three other friends and touring buddies, beginning with ‘Would You Mind Please Pulling Me Close?’ by Chicago songwriter Tasha – a delicate but detailed slice of indie folk that bears the same emotional impact as some of Japanese Breakfast’s finest moments. Also on the list is Felicia Douglass’ ‘Continuation’, a soulful and tropical-flavoured track from the Dirty Projectors, Gemma and former Ava Luna member. Having played with Japanese Breakfast on Jimmy Fallon, Zauner was keen to highlight the brilliance of her solo work above her contributions to other projects but acknowledged that her vocal performances on every project she is a part of are “stunning”.
Her friend in Adam Schatz’s Landlady project was also featured on the list with the track ‘Molly Pitcher’ – a Randy Newman-esque slice of intelligent songwriting that Zauner believes “deserves all the recognition”. The final selection comes from a more unlikely source in ‘Little Goth’ from Lena Raine’s soundtrack for the video game Celeste. Having composed the score for the indie game Sable, she says she was exposed to the work of many other independent video game composers, and one she had the chance to meet was Raine, whose work on Celeste has quickly become one of her favourites.
Given her varied selection, it’s no wonder that Jubilee was perhaps the most expansive of Japanese Breakfast’s records to date, and with new music, hopefully, on the horizon, it would be intriguing to know what she’s been delving into in the time since.
Michelle Zauner’s favourite songs:
- ‘Control’ – Mannequin Pussy
- ‘I SUCK THE DEVIL’S COCK’ – Spirit of the Beehive
- ‘Would You Mind Please Pulling Me Close?’ – Tasha
- ‘Continuation’ – Felicia Douglass
- ‘Molly Pitcher’ – Landlady
- ‘Little Goth’ – Lena Raine
