Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee

Japanese Breakfast's Jubilee arrived in 2021 as Michelle Zauner's first album in four years, and a deliberate turn toward joy after the grief that shaped Psychopomp and Soft Sounds From Another Planet. Zauner framed it as a celebration of time passing and the hope of a new era, which gives the record its bright, extrovert energy from the start.

That change in mood does not make the album lightweight. Zauner used Jubilee to push herself further as a songwriter, arranger and producer, studying piano and theory in earnest while opening up the most wide-ranging arrangements of her career. Horns, strings, synth-pop shine and indie-rock muscle all have a place here, from the fanfare of “Paprika” to the sleek pull of “Be Sweet,” which was co-written with Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing.

The result is a record that reaches for what Zauner once called a fight to feel: songs about optimism, adulthood, love and the work of becoming a better version of yourself. It also became a key release in Japanese Breakfast's catalogue, earning a Grammy nomination and confirming how naturally Zauner can move between intimate writing and bigger, more expansive pop ideas.

Reviews

• a stylish and eclectic record that feels of the moment and also steeped in classic indie sensibilities - Pitchfork
• Jubilee is an album that showcases Zauner's talents to their fullest - AllMusic.com