The day after Halloween, the crowds descended upon Rescue Rooms to hear the Japanese House’s outer-worldly take on pop.
Amber Bain’s project initially gained some following after being associated with littered comparisons to The 1975. This was not totally incorrect. ‘Still’ was produced by Matty Healy and George Daniel, of the popular UK band. However, this has almost tied Bain’s hands behind her back, her work is little discussed without constant references to The 1975. Thankfully, lately, with The Japanese House’s most recent release showing a more diversified sound, Bain is well on the way to paving her own trail.
“Bain’s voice dazzled in a celestial fashion”
Arriving on stage with ‘Clean’, Bain’s androgynous vocals and harmonies took this dream-pop to a lulling high. The entire set was a balance between sorrow-fueled moments and uplifting revivals. In the case of ‘Teeth’, the gritty crunch of the overdriven guitar fills broke up the muted layers of sounds to lighten up the somber tone.
Like ‘Clean’, ‘Swim Against The Tide’ was very much a slow burner. It built mildly, with sporadic steel pans and cackles of percussion. When the chorus broke, the guitar and bass abruptly burst this harmonic bubble with an aggressive riff. It paired perfectly with Bain’s most sensitive and engrossing vocals to date.
The vocoder has been prevalent in Amber Bain’s material. It twists and moulds her voice into sounding profoundly unique. For me, this was the biggest question surrounding the live shows. How would it translate live? During the show it sometimes felt like the vocals were an abstract shade that you had to try your best to look through. The vocalising mostly swayed with the mood. In ‘Face Like Thunder’, Bain’s voice dazzled in a celestial fashion. It was by far the most passionate performance of the night.
The Japanese House released ‘Good Side In’ one night before the show. It was a slight divergence from the general tone of the night’s performance. Bain played this nihilistic, folky melody throughout. A strong likeness to Marika Hackman broke through before a funky refrain that warmed up the crowd. What captivated me most was the way in which the different elements worked together on stage throughout this song. The guitar, the drums, the effects…all working in different directions, somehow managing to (ever so subtly) converge.
For her final song, Bain went out with perhaps her most well known track. ‘Still’ has had the prestigious reputation of being Zane Lowe’s last ever ‘BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record of The Week’. Amber Bain, at just 20 years old, is creating dynamic records and providing captivating performances. It’s definitely an indication of the further potential she possesses.
Paras Sehmar
Image courtesy of Ian Cheek Press
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