This House

Japanese Breakfast's song 'This House' delves into the complexities of relationships, personal growth, and the passage of time. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a house filled with women engaging in everyday activities like playing guitar, cooking breakfast, and sharing their traumas. This setting serves as a backdrop for the singer's introspection about a significant other who is conspicuously absent. The repeated question 'And where are you?' underscores a sense of longing and uncertainty, hinting at a relationship strained by distance and emotional disconnect.

The song further explores the fear of losing touch with a loved one, both physically and emotionally. The lines 'What if one day I don’t know you? / What if one day you leave?' capture the anxiety of potential separation and the impact of changing desires and time zones on the relationship. This fear is compounded by memories of simpler, albeit complicated, times when the singer felt like a child, spying on hidden cameras and waiting for their partner's graveyard shift to end. These memories evoke a sense of nostalgia and a longing for a time when things seemed more straightforward, even if they were not ideal.

As the song progresses, the narrative shifts to the present, where the partner is now in California, fulfilling a long-held dream. The singer questions the authenticity of their past love, pondering whether it was genuine or merely a product of companionship and timing. The final lines reflect a sense of personal growth and resilience, acknowledging that the singer is no longer the person they once were. The phrase 'My life was folded up in half' suggests a period of intense emotional turmoil, yet the singer credits the timing of companions for their survival. This acknowledgment of change and survival adds a layer of hope and acceptance to the song's melancholic tone.