Former DIY Digital cover star The Japanese House (the artistic moniker of indie-pop sensation Amber Bain) has released an upbeat new track, “:)” (pronounced “smiley face”), the follow-up to her 2023 sophomore album, In the End It Always Does.
Co-produced by Bain, The 1975's George Daniel, and Chloe Kramer, the single is a ray of sonic sunshine that captures the hopeful optimism of falling in love with someone. “'Smiley Face' was written at a time when I was feeling super excited about talking to someone on a dating app,” Bain says.
“She lived in Detroit and I dreamed of flying over to see her. I was in a session for someone else at the time, but this song just kept spilling out. I was kind of in a frenzy. I ended up buying a plane ticket and now we're engaged.”
Listen to “:)” and read more about “In the End It Always Does” in our In Deep digital cover interview with Bain below.
You can catch The Japanese House's live shows this year on the following dates:
June 2024
21 The Beacham, Orlando, Florida *
22 FPL Solar Amphitheatre, Bayfront Park, Miami, FL *
July 2024
26 Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA
27 Pier 17 Rooftop, New York, NY
28 Roxanne Theatre, McKees Rocks, PA
29 Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio
31 Metro, Chicago, Illinois
August 2024
01 Lollapalooza, Chicago, IL
02 Osheaga Festival, Montreal, Quebec
06 Boulder Theatre, Boulder, Colorado
07 Union Events Center, Salt Lake City, UT
09 Outside Lands, San Francisco, CA
11 Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland, Oregon
12 Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheater, Seattle, WA
15 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, California
23 Leeds Festival, Leeds, UK
25 Reading Festival, Reading, UK
September 2024
24 Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
28 All Things Go Festival, Washington DC
*Support Maggie Rogers