Michelle Zauner has shared a live in-studio performance video of her Japanese Breakfast track, “Better the Mask.”
In the clip, Zauner takes the indie-pop sounds of “Better the Mask” and strips it back into something intimate and powerful. In the live performance video, Japanese Breakfast delivers a piano and vocal arrangement, all while backed by a string quartet. The clip was filmed at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios.
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“I wrote ‘Better the Mask’ during lockdown,” Zauner says. “To pass the time, I found myself turning to the piano, practicing intently for the first time in years, and putting together what would become my favourite song I’ve ever written. ‘Better the Mask’ also features the first string arrangement I devised solely on my own.”
Watch the live performance video for “Better the Mask” below.
Japanese Breakfast has been quite busy lately. She’s been working on the soundtrack for the video game Sable. Recently, she shared “Glider,” which sees her channeling an amazing new sound. The ethereal new tune comes packed with dreamy, floating melodies.
She’s also no stranger to live performances. She recently took to Kimmel to perform “Paprika,” which was just as dazzling as this “Better the Mask” video.
The clip sees frontwoman Michelle Zauner decked out in a captivating, campy outfit beneath a dreamy, blurry lens. The rest of the band were also decked out in fancy clothes, as Zauner carried around a large mallet and hit a gong. Each time Zauner hit the gong, the lighting changed.
“Better the Mask” comes from Japanese Breakfast’s most recent album, Jubilee.
Lead photo courtesy of Tonje Thilesen.