Japanese Breakfast dives deep with For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), out March 21
Japanese Breakfast pretty much owned our playlists with Jubilee. That perfect blend of upbeat melancholy indie-pop became the soundtrack to navigating loss, COVID, and a lot of personal introspection—all while keeping the vibe deceptively light.
So, the news of fresh music alongside an album announcement is exactly what we needed. The first single? It’s got all the charm we’ve come to expect, with an extra sprinkling of magic.
Four years after the sparkling triumph of Jubilee, Michelle Zauner is back, and this time she’s leaning a little more into the shadows. Dropping March 21, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) trades the radiant joy of its predecessor for something moodier, richer, and all round emotionally weightier.
Co-produced with the genius that is Blake Mills (Fiona Apple, Alabama Shakes, Beck), the album takes on a more cinematic edge, layering expansive soundscapes with Zauner’s talent for turning heartache into something achingly beautiful. Mills’s signature style ties it all together—spacious yet razor-sharp in its detail.
The lead single, ‘Orlando in Love’, is a stunning first glimpse into this world. It’s lush, swoony, and just a touch devastating, with driving rhythm guitars, sweeping strings, and Zauner’s voice shifting between heartbreakingly delicate and quietly commanding. It’s paired with a dreamy lyric video that sets the tone for what’s sure to be one of the most emotional releases of the year.
Zauner’s been on quite the journey since Crying in H Mart became a literary phenomenon, dominating bestseller lists for over a year and landing in countless languages. But while Jubilee turned her grief into joy, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) feels like her most unfiltered work yet—raw, bittersweet, and full of heart.
You can check out ‘Orlando in Love’ below, along with the album cover, tracklist, and tour dates. Japanese Breakfast is back with a new soundscape for all your existential crises.
Tracklist for For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)
01 Here Is Someone
02 Orlando in Love
03 Honey Water
04 Mega Circuit
05 Little Girl
06 Leda
07 Picture Window
08 Men in Bars [ft. Jeff Bridges]
09 Winter in LA
10 Magic Mountain
Japanese Breakfast Tour Dates:
04-12 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04-19 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04-23 Austin, TX – Moody Theater (ACL Live) *
04-24 Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom *
04-26 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle *
04-27 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte *
04-28 Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *
05-02 Chicago, IL – Salt Shed *
05-03 Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit *
05-05 Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall *
05-07 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
05-09 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount *
05-16 Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia Presented by Highmark *
06-21 Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
06-24 Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller
06-25 Stockholm, Sweden – Filadelfia
06-26 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega
06-29 Manchester, England – Academy 1
06-30 Glasgow, Scotland – Barrowland
07-03 London, England – O2 Academy Brixton
07-04-06 Ewijk, Netherlands – Down the Rabbit Hole
07-08 Paris, France – Le Trianon
07-10-12 Bilbao, Spain – Bilbao BBK Live
08-23 Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl *
08-28 San Francisco, CA – The Masonic *
08-30 Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater *
09-01 Vancouver, British Columbia – Orpheum Theater *
09-06 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom *
09-09 Minneapolis, MN – The Palace Theater *
Head here for tickets.
