
known for her soft-yet-powerful voice and unique blend of subdued synths and gentle piano melodies, the japense house (the alias of english solo artist amber bain) is back with another song to break your heart. “chewing cotton wool” is the second track of the new japanese house era - a change in sound and in aesthetic that marks the end of the good at falling era and the beginning of whatever else bain has in store for us (an EP coming early 2020 via dirty hit, i’ve been informed). no one has ever combined subtlety and melancholy as perfectly as she does.
the japanese house is revered by indie pop fans and critics alike, and for good reason. her lyrics are straightforward and hardhitting, aiming at demystifying the human condition and compelling her audience to do the same. “chewing cotton wool” is a love song, in its own way. it’s about losing someone and gaining the clarity you wish you’d had, in hindsight; clarity that may or may not have saved the relationship, but which you had no choice to let slip through your fingers.
i’ve gone ahead and featured this single on my all the pretty things I tried to say to you playlist - it fits the theme i’d meant to hit with the rest of the songs on there as perfectly as any of them do, about hindsight and wishing you’d been willing and able to do something about love before it was too late.
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