Save for a few scattered shows, a brimming Barton Springs stage crowd witnessed one of Japanese Breakfast’s last live performances for a spell. During an extremely well-attended Saturday afternoon set, Michelle Zauner relayed that the Philly quartet hadn’t stopped hustling out on the road for the past two and a half years.
During that time, the Eugene, Ore., native dug out a distinct aesthetic of shoegaze-influenced Pacific Northwest indie rock. As such, touring fatigue reared its head in the brevity of the frontwoman’s typically bubbly stage antics throughout the 45-minute set. Even so, Zauner and husband/guitarist Peter Bradley still managed to look contagiously cheerful despite having been up late the night before at a sold-out Antone’s show.
Starter “Diving Woman” introduced the singer’s celestial, reverb-washed sensibilities. The steady guitar track also opens latest sci-fi-inspired LP Soft Sounds From Another Planet. In alien style, the Vogue-declared fashion star molted her sheer, floor-length dress to assume otherworldly warrior status in shiny shorts and a blue bra.
For the glossy alt-rock of “Road Head,” the artist deftly looped her voice into a high, Grimes-like chime. Drummer Craig Hendrix sang harmonies throughout, echoing on Eighties prom dance “Boyish.” The Cranberries’ “Dreams” proved a spot-on match for the crew’s lush instrumentation and Zauner’s crystalline, dream-pop pitch. Her voice warped into metallic Auto-Tune for finale “Machinist,” a futuristic disco take about falling in love with a robot.
In a pre-fest interview, Zauner promised new work from her time off from touring. Saturday night after the show, her Instagram of salmon sashimi confirmed the plan.
“I am officially a free woman,” she wrote. “I am going to create so many beautiful things with my time.”
This article appears in October 12 • 2018 and October 5 • 2018.