The Japanese House released their debut album “Good at Falling,” which has both fans and critics praising the band for a stellar start in making a name for themselves.

For those of you who had never heard of this band before, I highly recommend going through their entire discography and paying close attention to the first two EPs they released: “Pools to Bathe In” and “Clean.” They have a much younger sound to their style, but it’s so essential to see the growth within their music.

I’ve been following The Japanese House for a few years now, and every new piece of music they released has always been better than the one before. I had first heard of The Japanese House through my favorite band, The 1975, as they were the opening act for a few of their tour dates a couple of years ago and are also close friends with each other. They share similar music styles, incorporating synth-pop tunes with overlaid vocals into most of their music, and are frequent collaborators.

Since 2015, lead singer and songwriter Amber Bain has created a large fanbase through her dreamy lyrics and delicate productions in her music. Up until this album, the band had only released singles and EPs. Bain made subtle reveals towards the album and its title in an Instagram post when she explained she meaning behind “Lilo,” one of the songs on the record: “It is a reminder to me that I am good at falling in love and I can survive falling out of it. I’m good at falling.”

This is The Japanese House’s first full-length studio album, and I am completely in love with it. Prior to the new album’s release, The Japanese House came out with “We Talk All the Time,” “Maybe You’re the Reason,” “Follow My Girl,” and “Lilo” as the record’s singles. Their songs have themes of love, loss, and hope that Bain can persevere through almost anything life can throw at her.

I’ve noticed that I listen to and enjoy a lot of music from a range of different artists, but only so few of them have an aesthetic that are as pretty as what The Japanese House has released over their career. Whatever the band’s official genre is—indie, pop-alternative, folk, emo techno, or a mix of all of these— it’s my favorite genre ever.

My favorite tracks off the album are “Maybe You’re the Reason,” “somethingfartoogoodtofeel,” and “Worms.” Each have them have sweet melodies and soothing vocals, with vibrant yet subdued instruments incorporated in the background.

I was looking forward the most to listening to the final song on the album, “i saw you in a dream,” as it is the only track that The Japanese House had released before “Good at Falling” came out. I was surprised to find out that the song is actually a stripped-down version of the original recording, and has a more haunting, unfiltered, and raw acoustic sound to it. I really enjoyed the revamping of this song to fit the overall theme of the album.

The Japanese House should be on everyone’s radar if you’re in a music rut, and this album, with songs filled with emotion and genuineness, has paved a great path for this year in music.

Frances may be reached at

[email protected]