Psychopomp is singer Michelle Zauner’s debut album with her band Japanese Breakfast. With eight tracks, it features some of her more popular songs, such as “Everybody Wants to Love You.” The album was created after Zauner moved back to Oregon to help her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. She began writing music to navigate this difficult time and released the album following her stint with the band Little Big League.
Zauner’s 2016 debut is much rougher and rawer compared to her later work. Although it still incorporates some orchestral elements present in her latest album, Jubilee, the sound of Psychopomp is more emotional, less produced, and intimate.
The album does become a bit repetitive, with many similar melodies and sounds. Despite this, it features some of her strongest songs: “Rugged Country,” “Everybody Wants to Love You,” and “Heft.” These tracks are both lyrically and melodically engaging. While not as strong as the others, “The Woman That Loves You” and “In Heaven” are also notable supporting tracks. To conclude the album, “Triple 7” is a slower, simpler track that serves as an emotional deep cut. It’s not necessarily something you’d listen to as background music, and it leaves the listener without resolution at the end. However, this is not necessarily a flaw; starting with a track like “In Heaven” and finishing with “Triple 7” helps Zauner effectively communicate her feelings of grief and longing.
Though Psychopomp is an earlier and less polished Japanese Breakfast project, with only eight tracks and a 25-minute runtime, it remains her most emotional and vulnerable work.
