In The End It Always Does / The Japanese House / June 30, 2023
- Joshua Yoo
- Jul 27, 2023
- 2 min read
The seemingly endless cycle of relationships and life, beginnings and endings, can be both beautiful and painful as Amber Bain addresses on her second studio album. Fully dressed in some of her most pop-focused, catchy songwriting to date, ‘In The End It Always Does’ pairs pristine instrumentation with thoughtful and experienced songwriting that finds strength in her honesty.
Surrounding herself with some of her most trusted long-term collaborators (Chloe Kraemer, George Daniel [The 1975]), the album sounds and feels comfortably familiar to the rest of her discography, just with a little more songwriting bite. “Touching Yourself” is the best example with its sharp hook and crisp drums and guitars, one of the most earworm tracks Amber has written to date.
The moments of bliss and happiness on the record are sweet on the ears and heart, like the swaying “Indexical reminder of a morning well spent” that perfectly captures the beauty in the small moments. But for the most part, the album spends it time processing betrayal, facing the past, and accepting loss. Blending pain and sadness in such pretty and shiny arrangements is a talent in itself, and this contrast adds an additional depth to tracks like the bright “Sad to Breathe” or dreamy “Morning Pages” with MUNA-lead Katie Gavin.
It all makes for a very moving collection of tracks that explore the highs and lows of the human connection cyclically. Often more simple, but also more compelling and effective, ‘In The End It Always Does’ reflects Amber Bain’s craft better than perhaps anything before.
Highlight(s): Sunshine Baby, Sad to Breathe, Touching Yourself, Morning Pages, Indexical reminder of a morning well spent, Over There, Boyhood
Lowlight(s): Spot Dog, Friends
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