(Note: Now updated to reflect that the album has now been released!)
Holly Humberstone just keeps on climbing. Last year, I wrote about her Glastonbury set, and how she winningly pushed through a spell of nerves. This year, she's elevated herself to regular Radio 1 playlist status, made her first headline festival appearance (at Barn on the Farm), and successfully completed an intense headline tour of the U.S. All of this while the anticipation built for her second album.
That second album dropped on Friday, 13th October, and for this one I broke my self-imposed rule of not writing about music until at least its release date. I just had to share some thoughts in advance.
In some songs, we hear direct and clearly romantic lyrics; in others, there's expression of the frustration of teen life, and more of the "over-sharing" Holly often admits to.
The opener is 'Paint My Bedroom Black', a song which is up there as a 'Walls Are Way Too Thin' rival: Holly presents initially a summery, carefree feeling - a surface positivity. But this is at odds with the lyrics of the chorus which paint a darker picture, literally. That's a really interesting juxtaposition of a positive vibe - which you might expect to speak of romance - and the actual theme of a relationship ending.
Musically, all the while there's a powerful feeling of moving forward; so, somehow, this achieves a sense of ownership, release, agency, female empowerment. Very cleverly done, and a great opener to the LP.
Track two is 'Into Your Room'. This one begins brilliantly with that soaring vocal “I will run”, bringing shades of '80s power-pop anthems, before the song establishes itself into a bouncing but progressive rhythm. This is a tune which has already been heard widely on the radio, unsurprisingly; it's radio friendly, catchy and memorable, perhaps reflecting its roots in a writing session in California, but still firmly holds onto the essence of HH's more indie background.
Photo above: Constantine Spence
Third up, a new one, 'Cocoon'. Clever lyrical references abound here. At the start we're greeted immediately with Holly’s voice, close-up: "Are you free tonight, to watch the O.C.?", and later there's a chorus which repeats, many times, the soul-baring line, “I’m just going through something”. Her fans will love this. They certainly seemed to at an album launch gig in Nottingham recently (which I was pleased to attend and write-up for LeftLion), where Holly mentioned that song-writing, for her, is a form of journal-keeping. That explains those strikingly personal, down-to-Earth lyrics. ‘Cocoon’ is another nicely-paced track, with jangly guitars, a simple two-in-a-bar beat, and supportive bass. Adding spice and a haunting note, though, is a weird synth whistle -- and an almost honky-tonk piano pops it head up near the end.
'Kissing In Swimming Pools' was released a couple of weeks ago and is a proper ballad, unashamedly romantic. It starts with mellow acoustic guitar, and a slice of timeless folk before building into a section with rich Americana influences to colour the sound: tight vocal harmonies, a retro bass-line drawn from rock-and-roll history, and that magic 6/8 time signature. Positioned here in the album, the song creates a very effective drop in pace, but then builds the mood inexorably towards the soaring chorus lines.
Next, 'Ghost Me, already one of my personal favourites. It's a brand-new song, pacey and emotive, again with a U.S. roots/Americana-enriched feeling at many levels. This seems to echo some of the writing sessions and touring that HH has been involved in over the past 18 months.
At the album launch gig, Holly explained that the song was inspired by feelings while away on tour: the stark contrast between the sensory overload of preparing and performing, and the sudden alone-time back in the hotel room at night; and then thoughts of friends back home, hoping they don't forget all about you.
I really appreciate the lo-fi acoustic guitar start and the way several warm layers of sound are built on top. There's a pedal steel guitar in the mix, piano and all kinds of harmony lines. Also a brilliant touch is the unedited voice note from one of Holly's friends at the end of the song. She may be quoting Sponge Bob, but it's unexpectedly moving in its honesty and immediacy.
'superbloodmoon' hits strongly after that - a bit of a U-turn stylistically. It's not my favourite of her singles, but it works well here. Where, in the preceding tracks, we've heard a subtle male vocal harmony underlying some of Holly's lines, here that vocal element comes forward in the shape of collaborator d4vd's rich tones. The story of this song feels important here, continuing the trend of musing on separation and relationships across boundaries.
The next track, 'Antichrist', has been out just a few months but already feels like an important part of alt-pop history. It's a slow song, steeped in mystery and relatively dark for what was a summer record. But it's also soaring and victorious in a cathartic sense: the main character taking ownership of supposed insecurities, and putting up a middle finger. "A song about feeling like a piece of ****" is how Holly described it on stage recently: but isn’t feeling these feelings part of all of our lives? And writing and boldly performing songs about this is a gift to others.
'baby blues' comes next: a one-minute interlude, sung acapella with heavy filters.
"So take me out I'm yours - there must be some ungodly dive round here with a band and a sticky floor.
And if it all goes South, at least I'm sure, that I'm going home with you."
A reflective and once again revealing moment, and an important drawing of breath. These kinds of tracks, although perhaps not standalone hits, are what makes albums - proper, carefully thought out albums - special. The art-form allows an artist time and space to lay down recordings like this one, and make those musings part of a bigger product.
After a one-minute, carefully sung introduction, which ends with Holly's voices filtering down into the dark, 'Flatlining' begins to show its true colours. There's a build, and a build, over a jittery beat, warm synths, and then a sudden release into an anxiously intense rapid fire section. It sounds like a nervous mind recorded on tape, unsettling as well as infectious. But then it turns into sometime much more soothing, albeit sad. "We just can't be friends anymore" is the final fade.
Track 11: 'Elvis Impersonators'. What an intriguing song, packed with life references: comments made on the Tube, shifting to cameos of life in Japan: a shoebox apartment, eating gyoza in the park, 2am in Tokyo, cherry blossom ... At her recent gig, Holly took time to explain the story behind the song: it's about her older sister, Emma, who moved to Japan, and who Holly clearly misses deeply. It all starts to fall into place.
This is a relentlessly modern piece of music, but grounded - as with the rest of the record - in solid song-writing techniques. Here again we find the themes of love and separation, need and self-exploration, and catharsis through all of those. This is real life in all its beautiful, painful emotion.
'Girl', the album's penultimate track, is a beautifully produced, warm embrace of a song. There's a 6-note, rising and falling melody which becomes a central motif, echoed both in instruments and vocals, and a sense of mist and shimmer. On the surface, this is another heart on sleeve declaration of love, and the things it does to you. "And in a perfect world, I'd be your girl" is part of the refrain. But later: "But you don't even look at me, why don't you look at me like that ... the way you're looking at her." Again, things are not quite as simple as they first appear. And again, this is real life, isn't it?
And now we've reached the end. 'Room Service' is another familiar song, having been released in June along with 'Antichrist'. I've been thinking about why this one was chosen to play out the album: I think the answer is that it showcases exactly what Holly is all about: her boldness to write from the heart, share intimate moments of her life and invite us into them. And it also communicates the importance of private moments; the simple comforts of time away from the world, with someone dear.
Holly has done well to come so far and hold on to that part of herself. This album is a perfect example of how even the pop world, sometimes maligned for its shallow veneer, will allow integrity and honesty to shine through when an artist who truly cares steps up to make their mark.
Track list
1. Paint My Bedroom Black
2. Into Your Room
3. Cocoon
4. Kissing In Swimming Pools
5. Ghost Me
6. Track 6
7. Antichrist
8. Lauren
9. Baby Blues
10. Flatlining
11. Elvis Impersonators
12. Girl
13. Room Service