The ‘Melancholy’ of Japanese Breakfast Engulfs The Salt Shed

Indie-pop band Japanese Breakfast played a sold-out show May 2, its third night at The Salt Shed. Showcasing the band’s fourth album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women),” the “Melancholy” tour’s Chicago stop brought an evening of heart-wrenching lyrics and somber music.

Ginger Root kicked off the night with a 40 minute set that melded performance with film. With a sound akin to elevator music, songs were separated by short films shown on projector screens. 

Songs “Better Than Monday” and “Karaoke” showcased their synth heavy sound as lead singer Cameron Lew’s voice was masked in a walkie talkie filter as he sang into a red analog phone. Heavy bass guitar and funky keyboard gave the tracks a danceable feel as the crowd bopped along.

Under a cloud of dense fog, a pink clamshell sat center stage. The backdrop was straight from Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus,” previewing the mystical night of music to come.

Lead singer Michelle Zauner walked onstage joining the five-piece band. With a dramatic flourish, she pretended to light a prop lantern. Perched on the shell, she sang the underwhelming opening track, “Here is Someone.” While sweet, the soft lullaby-like song failed to inspire enthusiasm from the silent crowd.

Zauner moved directly into “Orland in Love.” The band brought a unique energy with ethereal violin and the intensified volume of the band’s sound. Compared to the recorded track, the live version instilled a driving energy into the song. Yet, Zauner’s angelic vocals were drowned out by the overbearing weight of the instruments.

Following tracks included “Road Head” and “Boyish,” from the band’s second album “Soft Sounds from Another Planet,” were restrained and hushed as the crowd gently swayed along. 

“Mega Circuit” brought life to the set with a grungy sound and slide guitar. Zauner examined modern toxic masculinity using a shuffle rhythm to back the sinister lyrics.

“Well, I better write my baby a shuffle good / Or he’s gonna make me suffer the way I should / Deep in the soft hearts of young boys so pissed off and jaded / Carrying dull prayers of old men cutting holier truths,” Zauner sang.

The vigor was short-lived, however, as Japanese Breakfast reverted back to ballads with Zauner returning to sit in the oversized clamshell. 

“Where are all my melancholy brunettes at?” Zauner said. “This is a sad one, it’s about my dad.”

“Leda” was more than a “sad one” —  it was devastating. Simple guitar exposed Zauner’s clear vocals as she sang of the pain of holding onto the strained relationship with her father.

“Gordian-like knot / Raveled by the days / Tried to cut you off / Somehow pulled it tighter,” Zauner sang.

Lyrics used as a diary to explore familial trauma have long been an aspect of Zauner’s artistry. In 2021 she published her New York Times bestselling memoir “Crying in H Mart,” detailing Zauner’s relationship with her mother, reconciling with her death and exploring fraying tensions with her father. 

“Heft” provided a brief respite from the crushing weight of the melancholic music before the band resumed the mournful tone with “Winter in LA.”

It wasn’t until halfway through the 22-song setlist that Japanese Breakfast sustained a sense of momentum with “Slide Tackle” and “Be Sweet.” Zauner attempted to engage the crowd, instructing them to jump and dance, but only half of the audience obliged.

Transitioning from ethereal crooning to skipping across the stage with childlike whimsy felt discombobulated, as if Japanese Breakfast had no clear direction for the show. 

The setlist continued the tonal roller coaster by plunging into “In Heaven” off the band’s debut album, “Psychopomp.” Despite whirlwind guitar, the track zapped the energy in the room with attendees seemingly unfamiliar with the band’s earlier sound.

This was the first time Japanese Breakfast played the track on their “Melancholy” tour, which Zauner attributed to opening act Ginger Root’s request that the band play more from “Psychopomp.” The subsequent song “The Woman That Loves You” was from the same album.

The three-song encore of “Posing For Cars,” “Paprika” and “Everybody Wants to Love You” proved the band’s ability to conduct a memorable performance. Climaxing with a bright guitar solo and Zauner’s iconic gong crash, the closing songs made the preceding set feel like a mild warm-up.

The night ended with Lew, returning on stage to duet “Everybody Wants to Love You.” He and Zauner leaped across the stage, beaming as the crowd screamed along.

A climactic exit for a sonically winding performance suggests that Japanese Breakfast’s primary strength is in the vulnerability of their lyrics, and not the bite of live performance.