Japanese Breakfast shares "The Body is a Blade" video

Japanese Breakfast, aka Michelle Zauner, has shared the video for “The Body is a Blade” from this year’s exelent Soft Sounds from Another Planet. Michelle directed the video for “The Body is a Blade,” and it features animated old family photos and the recreation of some scenes in the present. The imagery is particularly poignant because, as Michelle explains, the release of the video coincides with the day of her mother’s passing, three years ago. Watch the video and read Michelle’s statement about it below.

Japanese Breakfast recently played Music Hall of Williamsburg with Mannequin Pussy and Spirit of the Beehive. Their tour next heads overseas through December; in 2018, they head back to North America for some West Coast dates with Jay Som and Hand Habits. See all upcoming Japanese Breakfast dates below.

Speaking of Jay Som, Michelle also directed her recent video for “The Bus Song,” which you can watch below.

Today marks the day my mom has been gone for three years. Since then everything I have created has been made in her memory, every success feels a part of her doing.

Body is a Blade is a song about letting your body take over when mentally you can longer be present. It’s about packing up your childhood home, seeing its shell staged by real estate brokers for strangers to buy without knowing that room is the one she died in, giving away her old clothes. It’s a mantra to not let the pain you endure transform you into an unkind person. It’s a reminder that the world did not target you personally, that people survive tragedies everyday.

I’ve thrown myself into my work since I lost my mother because it’s all I have to stay sane and what she would have wanted. Sometimes busyness feels like a cocoon. Like the hours I spent animating these old photos frame by frame. I know many of you have lost loved ones too and I hope this helps you somehow.❤️

Thank you to my cinematographer Adam Kolodny. This is our seventh video together and I’d never have trusted anyone else with something so intimate and personal to me. Thank you for shooting this beautiful 16mm & 35mm and spending way too long collaging and animating this mixed media

Japanese Breakfast – 2017-2018 Tour
Oct 19 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
Oct 21 Simple Things 2017 Bristol, United Kingdom
Oct 23 Blue Shell Koln, Germany
Oct 24 HÄKKEN Hamburg, Germany
Oct 25 Badehaus Szimpla Berlin, Germany
Oct 26 Le Pop-Up du Label Paris, France
Oct 28 London Calling Amsterdam, Netherlands
Oct 31 EBGBS Liverpool, United Kingdom
Nov 02 The Joker Brighton, United Kingdom
Nov 03 Soup Kitchen Manchester, United Kingdom
Nov 04 The Mash House Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Nov 05 Nice N’ Sleazy Glasgow, United Kingdom
Nov 06 HEADROW HOUSE Leeds, United Kingdom
Nov 07 The Dome London, United Kingdom
Nov 28 Music Zone Kowloon, Hong Kong
Nov 30 The Wall Live House Gong-Guan Taipei, Taiwan
Dec 01 Modern Sky Lab Beijing, China
Dec 03 YYT Shanghai, China
Dec 04 Rockademy Bangkok, Thailand
Dec 08 Fairgrounds Fest Berry, Australia
Dec 09 The Curtin Carlton, Australia
Dec 10 Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre Meredith, Australia
Dec 11 Unit Tokyo, Japan
Dec 12 Shinsabashi Conpass Osaka, Japan
Dec 14 Hana Tour V-Hall Seoul, Korea, Republic Of
Feb 17, 2018 Sabertooth (Crystal Ballroom) Portland, OR