Holly Humberstone’s second album is all about quiet reinvention. The pop-rock singer-songwriter has embraced versatility and emotional complexity on the follow up to 2023’s ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’, presenting a post-breakup narrative about managing your life and emotions after losing love that many will find all too relatable.
The album kicks off with an operatic, high-tension instrumental So It Starts, before seamlessly transitioning into Make It All Better, which is packed with dreamy vocals and lyrics that tap into feelings of pining and yearning.
On the standout To Love Somebody Humberstone’s voice is smooth but powerful, similar to in some ways to Sabrina Carpenter as she digs into a painful bit of wisdom: that even during heartbreak the opportunity to to fall for someone in the first place is something to appreciate.
“To love somebody / To hurt somebody / To lose somebody / Is to know you’re only human,” she sings.
Cruel World, meanwhile, juxtaposes funky bass with lyrics centered around loneliness and alienation felt at the conclusion of a relationship, with Humberstone seemingly becoming disconnected from the world. “Everybody’s getting close / taking off each other’s clothes / I wonder where you are tonight,” she intones.
Elsewhere, Die Happy brilliantly rhymes “crash and hit the dash”, while White Noise is more stripped back, pairing a hazy melody with a sense of craving escapism. Rowdier moments include Red Chevy’s passionate vocals and catchy chorus, and the guitar-driven indie of Drunk Dialling. This is a very assured, impressive next step.
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