After releasing her debut album in March 2019, Amber Bain/The Japanese House is back already with a brand new song titled ‘Something Needs To Change’. It was teased over the past couple of days, with photos of Bain herself sat in a suit in the foreground behind green potted plants; several cropped images were posted, counting down to today and the singles release. Accompanying the new song however, is news of three new UK tour dates for the band, and that this single is the title track from a fourth coming EP to be released in November.

The Song

In terms of sound, the song is a lot different to anything I’ve heard from The Japanese House in the past, as there’s a load of effects building a soft, layered atmosphere behind Bain’s vocals and guitar playing. The lyrics of the song reflect on the idea of repetition; catching the same train, going to the same place, being given hell from the same girl. Between these statements, Bain states that “something has to change”, trying to get the character to snap out of this endless and painful cycle.

But I feel that the songs title is also relevant to the aesthetic and sound of the song too, as Bain can be seen on the cover of the single in a more formal yet androgynous look than before; this is coupled with a brand new atmosphere being created through the songs composition. It’s a clever way to signal change, that the formative years of The Japanese House have been and gone, that Bain has done a lot of growing. For instance, when I saw her earlier this year, she seemed much more confident and like she truly owned the stage in comparison to the shy and reserved Amber Bain I saw live in 2016. She has matured and grown up, evident by the suit she wears and the statement she is making: something has to change. Now she’s looking toward the future with a brand new EP on its way, hopefully followed by a second album in time…

The Video

Of course the single was released alongside a new music video, which was directed by photographer Nadira Amrani. Within it we see clips of a more casual Bain, watching static TVs and drinking cans and cans of cola, which play alongside a more formal Bain performing with the complete Japanese House ensemble (for the first time in a music video) and watering a collection of house plants. She can also be seen struggling to choose a t-shirt before becoming swamped in choices, and riding on an exercise bike before she grows sweaty; a pile of empty cola cans accumulate and a jungle start to form around her as the plants continue to grow. She is stuck in the same routine, mirroring the theme of the song perfectly, as she’s repeating the same things until she finally breaks free of these activities.

I love the inclusion of the plants being watered, as this could be a perfect visual metaphor for nurturing and taking care of yourself in order for you to grow. Alongside that is the image of using an exercise bike, building yourself up to be stronger and healthier too- perhaps getting rid of all of the cans of cola she had drank, which were interestingly coloured red along with her shoes in those particular shots. And we all know that red is the colour of danger… so this could be a visual representation of walking into danger, before you stop and realise: something needs to change. And then finally you break free.

You can read my The Japanese House concert review by clicking here.

Picture credit: DIY Mag.