In June 2023, Amber Bain, also known as The Japanese House, released their indie/alternative album In The End, It Always Does. For many, it's a captivating mix of heartwrenching lyrics and upbeat pop melodies. This album is characterized by its ethereal, layered production that combines electronic synth beats with emotional, almost whispered vocals that explore themes of identity, loss and self discovery.

           “Sunshine Baby” contains upbeat melodies with soulcrushing lyrics that explore themes of jealousy, growth and a longing for intimacy. Moreover, “Sunshine Baby” is a reflection on the emotional complexitity of relationships and how they can change over time. “Back seat, driving with my sunshine baby, Well, I've gone a little crazy, surely, someone's gonna save me” — This phrase represents the speaker’s relationship, feeling like they were in love but deep down, they knew they wanted something more. The lyrics capture the feeling of longing to be saved by Mr. Right and in the meantime, passing the time with someone else. Overall, representing a lack of intimacy and a disconnect that feels like being in the back seat of the car while your partner is driving.

”It makes me wanna die, everytime I have to picture your face. I wanna touch you but you’re too far away” — “Touching Yourself” explores the idea of physical and emotional vulnerability and emotional distance between two partners. It captures the feeling of emotional distance and a lack of vulnerability, almost as if the speaker feels closer to their partner in their imagination. Bain states in an interview with ‘Alternative Press’, “...the first verse is actually about feeling quite physically far away from someone and not being able to get to them and then the next verse becomes about actually not being able to get to them emotionally even though you’re right next to them. It’s just like, you can’t reach them.”

Released just three days after my 20th birthday, the timing of the album couldn’t have been more personal. Its themes of love, loss, and acceptance spoke directly to my experience, and the title itself—In The End, It Always Does—carried a deep significance. These words served as a reminder of the inevitable aspects of life and that everything happens for a reason. No matter how hard it may feel in the moment, in the end, life works itself out the way it’s meant to.

The track titled “One for sorrow, two for joni jones” means the most to me. Amber Bain’s dog is named Joni Jones and they reference him in the title and throughout the song. The phrase “One for sorrow” refers to an old nursey rhyme associated with magpie sightings and suggests sadness and loss from a potential relationship. This track feels like the beginning stages of grief in a relationship with phrases like “It feels something like I'm missing you but, Also like I'm missing me” and “Sometimes I think without you, Life would lose its bones”. These phrases capture the gutwrenching feeling of missing a past lover and learning how to exist without them. As the track comes to a close, Bain begins blaming themselves for the relationship ending — “Yes, I can still hear you, I just wasn't paying any attention. Baby, I, I can take a lot more of the blame, Did I mention?” It’s as if they are convincing their partner to stay by taking all of the blame for how the relationship ended.

Overall, In the End It Always Does takes you on a journey though grief, the struggle of letting go, and the power of self-discovery after a relationship ends. for me, this album became something more—it was the soundtrack to my healing process during my first heartbreak. This album is about learning to embrace the discomfort of being alone and accepting your own vulnerability. By delving into the multidimensional aspects of relationships, In The End It Always Does makes the listener feel seen in their complex feelings.