REVIEW: Japanese Breakfast with SPELLLING at The Momentary – 10.5.2025

Photos by Taylor Sone

The Momentary’s fall lineup continued a stellar run as indie-pop darlings Japanese Breakfast returned to the stage, their first visit since 2022. The band’s rise to the top of the indie charts has a long arc, but one that has been cresting since their first record Psychopomp. 

Singer Michelle Zauner’s influence has been undeniable in her genre of indie pop. Turn on the Sirius XMU station at any time of day and within minutes you’ll hear one an artist who’s definitely kept Soft Sounds from Another Planet on their turntable since 2017. Alongside Phoebe Bridgers, it’s hard to name a more influential musician than Zauner in the indie world during recent years.

I caught Japanese Breakfast in 2017 on a magical evening in Little Rock as they played at Sticky Fingerz while just down the street Waxahatchee and Hurray for the Riff Raff were on stage at the late great Rev Room. The show’s had been timed so people could catch all the sets at each venue, alternating down time. The band’s setup was a bit more minimal than their latest Arkansas visit at The Momentary on Oct. 5th. They have since expanded bringing in more instrumentalist to bring to life the band’s expanding palette of sounds off their latest record For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women). Zauner has only grown in her confidence as a singer and performer in the last decade. 

Japanese Breakfast kicked off their set in a more low-key fashion with Zauner sitting in a giant clam shell on stage while strumming the chords for “Here is Someone.” The set continued with songs like “Boyish”, originally released by her previous band Little Big League and later retooled as a Japanese Breakfast single. Other highlights include “The Body is a Blade,” “My Baby (Got Nothing at All” and “Slide Tackle.” The band caped off their set with gorgeous and lush tunes like “Paprika” and “Be Sweet” before wrapping things up with “Everybody Wants to Love You.” At 21 songs, the set didn’t fail to disappoint, covering material from their four studio albums. 

Also, a special shoutout to the opener SPELLLING the one-woman show who never felt like it. Her powerful vocals and willingness to channel the music through her body made the stage seemed like a full band stood behind her. She’s definitely worth checking out.

All in all, another great night at The Momentary. Kudos to the team for bringing indie rock to Bentonville.