Soft Sounds from Another Planet

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.8/10[4]
Metacritic	83/100[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
The A.V. Club	A−[7]
Consequence of Sound	B+[8]
Drowned in Sound	8/10[9]
Exclaim!	7/10[10]
The Guardian	[11]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[12]
PopMatters	8/10[13]
Q	[14]
Uncut	8/10[15]

Soft Sounds from Another Planet received a weighted score of 83 out of 100 from review aggregate website Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 20 reviews from music critics.[5] Nathan Reese of Pitchfork noted, "Inspired by the cosmos, Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner addresses life on Earth. Her voice shines over melancholic arrangements, evoking Pacific Northwest indie rock as much as shoegaze."[12] Tim Sendra of AllMusic writes the album is "Much slicker and less wonky (than Psychopomp), the songs have a spacious, expansive sound that envelops the listener in warmth (even when the synths get a little chilly.)"[6] Brian Shultz of The A.V. Club said, "And while everything on Japanese Breakfast's proper sophomore effort isn't entirely fresh, and its structure is somewhat loose, there's a confidence and crispness to Soft Sounds that shows just how fully realized Zauner's formerly homemade experiments have become."[7] Exclaim!'s Ian Gormely wrote, "In trying to put a wall between herself and her audience, she's opened a new, far more revealing side to her music and herself."[10]

All tracks are written by Michelle Zauner.

Adapted from AllMusic.[21]

• David Bartler – saxophone
• Asher Brooks – trumpet
• Jorge Elbrecht – mixing
• David Hartley – engineer
• Craig Hendrix – engineer, producer
• Michael Johnson – engineer
• Heba Kadry – mastering
• Craig Scheihing – photography
• Todd Schied – engineer
• Nathaniel David Utesch – design
• Michelle Zauner – vocals, guitars, producer