The start of a new series here at Sounds From Nowhere, Artist You Should Know will feature a selected artist that our team believes you should know and listen to, better then, we’ll tell you why.

The Japanese House, the alter ego of young songwriter Amber Bain, has pushed the limits of modern pop over the last year, ever since her debut EP release Pools To Bathe In back in mid 2015.

Named after a Kate Winslet-owned house in Devon during a unforgettable weekend as a child, where the story goes Amber portrayed herself as a boy and proceeded to have a girl fall for her, effectively breaking hearts along the way.

While now, grown-up Amber collides gloomy electronica with almost-enchanting dream-pop to form The Japanese House‘ signature sounds.

Her debut EP was melancholic pop at its finest, and one of the finest debuts we’ve seen in a long time. Produced by Amber herself along with unlikely allies Matthew Healy and George Daniel of The 1975, of who she’s also supported in December 2015.

Amber is now on her own, working the live scene. After her debut saw The Japanese House with a sound featuring layered vocals, precise production and ambient lush pop, now she’s taking The Japanese House in another direction with the act’s brand new EP, she’s adding harsh upbeat guitar focus into the records.

Swim Against The Tide, the second EP by The Japanese House only came out a few days ago but it’s been stuck in our heads at Sounds From Nowhere. The title track, bleeds with Amber‘s voice and backing guitar loudly over the usual sound, it’s different than what we know for her, but it’s perfect.

“Good side in”, another pick off the four-track selection, with its rolling almost-tropical drums into but eventually morphing into a guitar driven lushy dream-pop standard, it’s thoughtful. For Amber, “songwriting and production go hand-in-hand”, and it shows on almost every Japanese House cut.

In the short, our first daily Artist You Should Know is none other than The Japanese House, the rising tide in pop at the moment. Currently just finished a solo tour, we’re expecting grand things in 2017.

Words by Jack Cinnamond, photographs courtesy of The Japanese House.