After a four-year interlude marked by critical acclaim and personal milestones, Michelle Zauner returns with the lead single from her upcoming album For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), set for release on March 21, 2025. “Orlando in Love” presents a narrative woven with myth, literature, and introspective longing, signaling a shift in Zauner’s sonic and lyrical palette.
Opening with a sparse yet resonant acoustic guitar, the song’s tone feels melancholy but inviting. The delicate strumming acts as a foundation upon which Zauner’s ethereal vocals drift, creating an intimate and cinematic space. The subtle instrumentation, including the sweeping hum of strings and, eventually, light drums, enriches the song without overwhelming it. Produced by Blake Mills, whose signature sensitivity shines through, the track accurately balances organic and electronic textures. Light electronic flourishes and 1960s-inspired pop harmonies enhance the dreamy quality while reinforcing the undercurrent of emotional weight.
Lyrically, “Orlando in Love” draws from Matteo Maria Boiardo’s Orlando Innamorato, a Renaissance epic that explores unfulfilled desire and the duality of heroism and vulnerability. Zauner’s opening line—”Orlando in love / Writes 69 cantos / For melancholy brunettes and sad women”—is as playful as it is poignant, referencing the incomplete nature of Boiardo’s work while adding a touch of contemporary wit. This clever invocation invites listeners to reflect on the idea of unfinished stories, not just in literature but in life and love.
The narrative unfolds with vivid, sensory imagery: “The breeze carries salt / And sipping milky broth / He cast his gaze towards the sea out the Winnebago.” Here, Zauner’s lyricism is at its most evocative, merging the poetic with the mundane. The contrast between the romanticized longing of Orlando and the modern setting of a Winnebago hints at a timeless tension between wanderlust and stasis.
As the song progresses, the arrangement swells, reaching a poignant climax when Orlando envisions a woman emerging from the sea like Botticelli’s Venus, embodying his idealized vision of love. The strings, led by subtle yet stirring counterpoints, rise and recede like waves, mirroring Orlando’s emotional unraveling. Zauner sings with an aching sweetness that belies the tragic undercurrent: “Singing his name with all the sweetness of a mother / Leaving him breathless and then drowned.”
Vocally, Zauner leans into vulnerability, her voice layered in reverb that amplifies the song’s reflective tone. The harmonized outro, repeating Orlando’s name in a mantra-like cadence, evokes the obsessive nature of desire. The effect is haunting yet tender, reminiscent of 1960s dream pop but unmistakably grounded in Zauner’s modern indie sensibilities.
“Orlando in Love” offers much to admire. However, some listeners may find it restrained compared to the lush expansiveness of Jubilee. The shorter runtime and relatively straightforward arrangement feel like a tease rather than a complete narrative arc. However, this brevity also serves as a thematic mirror—desire often leaves us suspended, yearning for a resolution that never fully arrives.
Produced by Blake Mills, whose collaborations with Fiona Apple and Bob Dylan have showcased his nuanced approach to production, the sonic choices here are intentional and intimate. The song’s balance of acoustic instrumentation and subtle electronic embellishments highlights Zauner’s knack for sonic storytelling.
“Orlando in Love” is an invitation to a broader exploration of emotional nuance as the track captures the ephemeral beauty of yearning and the bittersweet awareness of impermanence. Zauner’s lyrical depth and restrained soundscape promise an album that will resonate deeply with those familiar with the ache of longing.
For fans of Japanese Breakfast’s prior work, “Orlando in Love” may seem like a quieter chapter. Listen deeper, and you will find that within its simplicity lies complexity—a testament to Zauner’s growth as a songwriter who is unafraid to linger in the spaces between joy and sorrow. For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) is shaping up to be an introspective masterpiece, and “Orlando in Love” is its haunting prologue—a whispered promise of what’s to come.
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