<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>- It is perhaps telling about <strong>Michelle Zauner</strong>’s life in recent years that, amidst a worldwide pandemic and our divided response, she sees 2021 as a new golden age. With past records addressing her mother’s death and subsequent grief, her latest album as<strong> Japanese Breakfast</strong> is entitled <em>Jubilee</em> and, as the title suggests, marks celebration of a bygone era and looks forward to a more positive future. Personal trauma often trumps international crises when it comes to the fragility of the human soul and so it makes perfect sense that Zauner emerges at the other end with a determined optimism, regardless of the chaos surrounding her. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>This is evident not just in the musical arrangements to be found on the new album, but also in Zauner’s voice – still emotive but more sweetly melodic this time. Her previous studio album, 2017’s dream pop opus <em>Soft Sounds From Another Planet</em> blended indie rock with spectral shoegaze and electronica. This time round, the arrangements are more diverse and sophisticated, the biggest throwback to the previous record being the reverb-drenched <em>Sit</em>, though even this track brings to mind the way dream pop has evolved in the four years since the release of <em>Soft Sounds…</em>, especially as heard in landmark releases from the likes of Canada’s <strong>No Joy</strong> or Philadelphia’s <strong>The Spirit Of The Beehive</strong>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>For the most part, however, <em>Jubilee</em> looks beyond such reference points, taking in horn-laden baroque pop in stunning opening track <em>Paprika</em>. Followers of Japanese Breakfast will already be familiar with singles such as the elegant synth pop of <em>Be Sweet</em>, but have plenty more pleasant surprises in store, such as the ‘60's girl group balladry of <em>Kokomo, IN</em> which incorporates strings, pedal-steel and Zauner’s pure, rising vocal in a manner somewhat reminiscent of <strong>Camera Obscura</strong>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>While there is a melancholic finale to the record with the steadily building ballad <em>Posing For Cars</em>, it’s not a dominant trait. In fact, hope can be heard throughout this album as our narrator, like so many of us, emerges from personal tragedy deeply affected, but also ready to move on with her life. Apart from it being the most uplifting Japanese Breakfast record yet, it is also the most diverse, memorable and satisfying.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>- Matt Thrower.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=405969025/size=large/bgcol=ff…; seamless><a href="https://michellezauner.bandcamp.com/album/jubilee">Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast</a></iframe>
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