The Japanese House – :) aka Smiley Face
International alt-pop darling The Japanese House (the acclaimed project of Amber Bain) has released her new single “:)” aka Smiley Face.
Produced alongside close collaborators George Daniel (The 1975) and Chloe Kraemer (Rina Sawayama, FKA twigs, Rex Orange County), the country-tinged, unabashed ode to happiness finds Amber letting her anxieties take a backseat and arrives in the midst of her North American Summer Headline Tour as well as a string of dates supporting Maggie Rogers on her Don’t Forget Me Tour.
“‘Smiley Face’ is a song I wrote when I was very excited about talking to someone off a dating app,” said The Japanese House. “She lived in Detroit, and I was fantasising about flying to meet her. I was in a session at the time for someone else’s stuff, but I couldn’t help this song spilling out of me, I was in some sort of frenzy. Turns out I did buy the plane tickets, now we’re engaged.”
“:)” marks the artist’s first single since the release of her critically acclaimed 2023 album, In the End It Always Does, a collection of songs that found The Japanese House embracing her pop-side like never before. In addition to her summer tour dates, The Japanese House is also playing major festivals including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Osheaga, Hinterland, All Things Go and more – the follow up to her recent standout performances at Coachella and Bonnaroo.
THE JAPANESE HOUSE HEADLINE DATES
June 21 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham #
July 26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
July 27 – New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17
July 28 – McKees Rocks, PA @ Roxian Theatre
July 29 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
July 31 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
August 6 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
August 7 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union +
August 11 – Portland, OR @ Pioneer Courthouse Square +
August 12 – Seattle, WA @ Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheater +
August 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre Co-Headline with Del Water Gap +
September 24 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena $
+ Skullcrusher
# Miya Folick
* Abby Holliday
$ with Vance Joy
REMAINING DATES SUPPORTING MAGGIE ROGERS
June 19 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park
June 20 – Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium
June 22 – Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park
FESTIVAL DATES
August 1 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
August 2 –Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
August 4 – Saint Charles, IA @ Hinterland Music Festival
August 9 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
August 23 – 25 – Leeds, UK and Reading, Berkshire @ Reading and Leeds Festival
September 28, 2024 – Washington, DC @ All Things Go Festival
#thejapanesehouse