# The Japanese House
**The Japanese House** is the solo project of Amber Mary Bain, an English indie-pop and dream-pop singer-songwriter from [Buckinghamshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/buckinghamshire), born 1995, who writes, produces, and plays nearly all of the instruments on her records[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-japanese-house-mn0003379906). She has released two albums on the label [Dirty Hit](https://www.edgepedia.org/dirty-hit), *Good at Falling* (2019) and *In the End It Always Does* (2023), alongside a run of EPs[3](https://thejapanesehouse.bandcamp.com/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Amber Mary Bain, born 1995, Buckinghamshire, England[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US) |
| Name origin | A Cornwall holiday home she stayed in as a child, where she pretended to be a boy for a week[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/12/amber-bain-the-japanese-house-sad-modern-synthpop) |
| Break | Discovered at 17 by Matt Healy of The 1975, who helped her get a deal with his band's label, Dirty Hit[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US) |
| Debut EP | *Pools to Bathe In* (2015), co-produced by Bain with Matt Healy and George Daniel of The 1975[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US) |
| Albums | *Good at Falling* (2019), No. 6 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart; *In the End It Always Does* (2023)[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US) • [3](https://thejapanesehouse.bandcamp.com/) |
| Second album reception | Metascore of 82 (universal acclaim) based on 10 critic reviews, 9 positive and 1 mixed[5](https://www.metacritic.com/music/in-the-end-it-always-does/the-japanese-house/critic-reviews) |
| Notable collaborators | Justin Vernon of Bon Iver on "Dionne"; Katie Gavin of MUNA; Matty Healy and George Daniel of The 1975[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US) • [6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-japanese-house-in-the-end-it-always-does/) |
## Name and early anonymity
Bain has kept a low profile and an ambiguous name since the genesis of her career in 2012[7](https://uclaradio.com/interview-with-the-japanese-house-outside-lands-2024/). The name comes from a Cornwall holiday home she stayed in as a child, where she pretended to be a boy for a week[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/12/amber-bain-the-japanese-house-sad-modern-synthpop). Her early releases were deliberately low-key: no press pictures accompanied the first EPs, and her voice was often buried beneath ghostly, androgynous effects[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/01/the-japanese-house-good-at-falling-review-candid-breakup-pop-lets-the-air-in). The ambiguity led some commentators to speculate that The Japanese House was the work of [The 1975](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-1975)'s singer [Matty Healy](https://www.edgepedia.org/matty-healy), whose name appeared alongside [George Daniel](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-daniel)'s as a producer on the EPs[9](https://fnewsmagazine.com/images/issues/2019-04-April.pdf). The project has nothing directly to do with Japan or house music[10](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-japanese-house-good-at-falling-review-dreary-debut-from-1975-labelmates-1.3807008).
Her path into music ran through her family and through The 1975. Guided by her musician father, who taught her AC/DC and [Led Zeppelin](https://www.edgepedia.org/led-zeppelin) songs on guitar, she began composing at age 11; at 17 she was discovered by Healy, who helped her secure a deal with Dirty Hit[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US). She toured and worked with The 1975, supporting the band on tour and gathering a following along the way[11](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/2016/NME-2016-08-12.pdf) • [12](https://aliciaboukersi.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/magazine-second-edition.pdf).
## EPs and Good at Falling
Between 2015 and 2017 Bain released a run of EPs: *Pools to Bathe In* (April 2015), *Clean* (November 2015), *Swim Against the Tide* (November 2016), and *Saw You in a Dream* (June 2017)[3](https://thejapanesehouse.bandcamp.com/). The 2016 single "Face Like Thunder" arrived in that period and remains among her best-known early songs[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-japanese-house-mn0003379906).
Her debut album, *Good at Falling*, arrived in March 2019 and marked a turn toward directness. Where the early EPs used generalities rather than specifics, the album picked at the scabs of a broken relationship with a candour that would have seemed unimaginable when she arrived in 2015[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/01/the-japanese-house-good-at-falling-review-candid-breakup-pop-lets-the-air-in). It reached [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart, and her career received a further boost when [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift) included the track "Follow My Girl" on one of her Apple Music playlists in 2019[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US). Reception was divided: The Guardian praised its candid breakup pop[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/01/the-japanese-house-good-at-falling-review-candid-breakup-pop-lets-the-air-in), while [The Irish Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-irish-times) called it dreary and overlong, finding the processed vocoder vocals irritating[10](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-japanese-house-good-at-falling-review-dreary-debut-from-1975-labelmates-1.3807008).
A fifth EP, *The LA Sessions (Live)*, followed in August 2019, and *Chewing Cotton Wool* in August 2020; the latter includes "Dionne," a duet with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver[3](https://thejapanesehouse.bandcamp.com/) • [1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US).
## In the End It Always Does
Bain's second album, *In the End It Always Does*, was released on June 30, 2023, more than four years after the first[5](https://www.metacritic.com/music/in-the-end-it-always-does/the-japanese-house/critic-reviews) • [13](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-japanese-london-etta-marcus-arlo-parks-b2367366.html). It was conceived in a burst of creativity after the disintegration of a relationship, and it chronicles a cycle of falling in and out of love[13](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-japanese-london-etta-marcus-arlo-parks-b2367366.html). Every song is written by Bain, alone or with collaborators, and she handles production while performing almost every instrument herself, from bass and guitar to keyboards, piano, and percussion; production credits are shared with The 1975's George Daniel and Chloe Kraemer, and Healy contributes production, vocals, and guitar parts to certain tracks[13](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-japanese-london-etta-marcus-arlo-parks-b2367366.html).
The album slides between dream pop, 1970s-infused folk rock, and several other genres, and reviewers placed it within an emergent London sound alongside artists such as [Arlo Parks](https://www.edgepedia.org/arlo-parks) and Etta Marcus[13](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-japanese-london-etta-marcus-arlo-parks-b2367366.html). Its twelve tracks open with "Spot Dog" and include "Sad to Breathe," "Boyhood," "Friends," "Sunshine Baby," and "One for Sorrow, Two for Joni Jones," which features Katie Gavin of MUNA[3](https://thejapanesehouse.bandcamp.com/) • [14](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-japanese-house-review-it-always-does-b2366493.html). On "Friends," Bain reflects on her experience in a throuple with a couple who had been together six years before meeting her[14](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-japanese-house-review-it-always-does-b2366493.html).
Critics received the album warmly. It scored a Metascore of 82, with 9 of 10 reviews positive[5](https://www.metacritic.com/music/in-the-end-it-always-does/the-japanese-house/critic-reviews). The Independent's Helen Brown heard the influence of female singer-songwriters throughout, from [Suzanne Vega](https://www.edgepedia.org/suzanne-vega) and [Sarah McLachlan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-mclachlan) to [Joni Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/joni-mitchell) and Kate Bush, and called it "a deliciously fragrant affair"[14](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-japanese-house-review-it-always-does-b2366493.html). Pitchfork's Brady Brickner-Wood described a breakup album that is vibrant and playful, noting that Bain co-produces every song with George Daniel and Chloe Kraemer and that the bubbly production is freighted with hurt, particularly on the lead single "Boyhood" and the Healy-assisted "Sunshine Baby"[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-japanese-house-in-the-end-it-always-does/).
## Style and live work
Bain describes her introspective music as "a modern day, more depressing ABBA"[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US). AllMusic characterizes the project as a fusion of lush dream pop and brooding electronica[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-japanese-house-mn0003379906). Her early work favored hazy tones that occasionally overwhelmed her contemplative vocals; by the second album the music had become more emotional and danceable[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-japanese-house-in-the-end-it-always-does/).
Live, the project has grown into a full band production. A May 2024 show at London's Roundhouse featured a more sophisticated stage design with glowing balls and flat lights, and was described as one of Bain's most enthralling shows to date[15](https://www.indiependent.co.uk/live-review-the-japanese-house-roundhouse-09-05-24/).
## References
1. [The Japanese House, Apple Music artist page](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-japanese-house/971811598?l=en-US)
2. [The Japanese House, AllMusic biography and discography](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-japanese-house-mn0003379906)
3. [In the End It Always Does, The Japanese House on Bandcamp](https://thejapanesehouse.bandcamp.com/)
4. [Amber Bain: 'I listen to a lot of Beyoncé', The Guardian (2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/12/amber-bain-the-japanese-house-sad-modern-synthpop)
5. [In the End It Always Does, Metacritic critic reviews](https://www.metacritic.com/music/in-the-end-it-always-does/the-japanese-house/critic-reviews)
6. [The Japanese House: In the End It Always Does Album Review, Pitchfork (2023)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-japanese-house-in-the-end-it-always-does/)
7. [Interview with The Japanese House: Outside Lands 2024, UCLA Radio](https://uclaradio.com/interview-with-the-japanese-house-outside-lands-2024/)
8. [The Japanese House: Good at Falling review, The Guardian (2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/01/the-japanese-house-good-at-falling-review-candid-breakup-pop-lets-the-air-in)
9. [F Newsmagazine, Entertainment, April 2019](https://fnewsmagazine.com/images/issues/2019-04-April.pdf)
10. [The Japanese House: Good at Falling review, The Irish Times (2019)](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-japanese-house-good-at-falling-review-dreary-debut-from-1975-labelmates-1.3807008)
11. [NME, 12 August 2016](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/2016/NME-2016-08-12.pdf)
12. [Magazine second edition, Alicia Boukersi (2018)](https://aliciaboukersi.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/magazine-second-edition.pdf)
13. [Music Review: The Japanese House on love, heartbreak and a very good dog, The Independent (2023)](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-japanese-london-etta-marcus-arlo-parks-b2367366.html)
14. [The Japanese House review, In the End It Always Does, The Independent (2023)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-japanese-house-review-it-always-does-b2366493.html)
15. [Live Review: The Japanese House, Roundhouse, 09.05.24, The Indiependent](https://www.indiependent.co.uk/live-review-the-japanese-house-roundhouse-09-05-24/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Indie and alternative pop, 2010s to present › Indie rock and alternative pop artists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license