The Japanese House - Letter by the Water

When Zane Lowe bestowed the honour of his final ‘Hottest Record’ for Radio 1 on the debut single from the enigma that was The Japanese House, it became a question of how long the heat would last. Despite all the references to water, Amber Bain continues to stoke the fire with the third offering from her forthcoming ‘Clean’ EP. (out on November 6th)

‘Letter By The Water’ has a similar hazy quality to previous releases but twists with a crunching guitar ,which provides discord in what is a murkier counterpart to ‘Cool Blue’ and ‘Clean’. Bain shows incredible skill in her ability to veer in a different direction within her distinctive aesthetic. Her characteristic layered vocal harmonies swell and recede like the tide, and the multitude of sounds wrap around each other snugly to create a vast expanse. It’s testament to her production talents. On the brink of only her second EP as The Japanese House and in the wake of her first tour, she already sounds like an artist in control of a strong vision.

“Current come and pull me down” she cries but The Japanese House is standing strong and the follow-up to ‘Pools To Bathe In’ is shaping up to be one of the most exciting EPs of 2015.