Album Review: Holly Humberstone - 'Paint My Bedroom Black'
Rising Star Holly Humberstone makes her mark with the brilliant debut album ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’.
The Grantham born singer-songwriter finds herself in a formidable position, where she is already on her way to becoming a huge name in the music world, before the release of her first record. The success of her “mini album”, ‘Can You Afford To Lose Me?’ has certainly proved to be fuel for her creativity, and now we find ourselves lucky enough-as listeners- to be receiving ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’.
Humberstone wastes no time and throws us into an emotional plunge pool from the off. The opener is the stunning titular track. It feels a brilliant touch to kick things off with the song that holds the same name as the entirety of the body of work. It feels as though it’s an all-encompassing number that offers an insight of what’s to come. ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’ as a song is outstanding. It’s emotional, it’s cool, it’s catchy. It’s the perfect anthem to get the record going.
‘Into Your Room’ seamlessly follows the opener. As a single released ahead of the record, fans will be familiar with this one. It’s as brilliant when heard amongst the rest of the record as it was as a single. The unmistakeable vocals of Holly Humberstone haunt the listeners in such beautiful fashion. The track oozes emotion, the words bleed and hold real weight. The singer pours her heart out throughout, culminating in the lyrics “I can’t do without you, baby”. Such sore and powerful words are coupled with incredible music. Electronic sounds and driving bass elevate the track to be completely brilliant.
The artist spoke on the record’s production and stated that she’d “had such a fun, crazy and challenging few years.” She then expressed how she had wanted to compile all of these experiences and emotions into the album. She has achieved this beautifully. The record is a turbulent, emotional ride. The ultimate example of this is the track ‘Cocoon’. It starts with Humberstone’s incredible vocals, with just the sound of a muted guitar behind her. It builds up before exploding during the choruses. She sings “I’m just going through something.” The song perfectly pairs the lyrics, with Humberstone expressing this range of emotions through her musical talent. Listeners will undoubtedly relate to this one, with life being an ever-changing splatter of emotions.
‘Ghost Me’ is one of the tracks that is completely new to the vast majority of listeners. During the opening minute, it is almost exclusively acoustic, which really sets a soft and thoughtful tone. Once again, Humberstone explores an emotional situation perfectly with some expert lyricism. She explicitly opens the track with the explicit and chilling words “I’ve been crying all night”. There are no secrets between the singer and her audience in this one. It feels so honest and sincere. The song doesn’t remain completely acoustic, the choruses are boosted by what sounds like a collection of stringed and electronic instruments. It all makes for a stunning track, where Humberstone explores feelings towards being ‘ghosted’.
The sonic architecture of the record is something to behold. The album has no limits and obeys no rules. There is no set sound, which makes it so brilliant. Humberstone can be honest, free and expressive. The bending of traditions and norms must be admired, for instance having a feature on a debut album. The track ‘Superbloodmoon’ is executed brilliantly, with Holly Humberstone sharing the spotlight with d4vd in an excellent and moving number.
Songs such as ‘Antichrist’ encompass this freeness. It begins with distorted, electronic vocals, before a repeated, slow drum pattern takes over to create a haunting number. Despite only a few instruments taking centre stage, the track feels so full. It’s layered beautifully beneath yet another stunning vocal performance.
The latter end of the record is stunning. ‘Baby Blues’ shows off electronic vocals that are unmissable and will have listeners gripped. The tracks that follow this performance make for an incredible close to the record. ‘Flatlining’ blends genres effortlessly, with a real dance-y, electronic sound that will certainly have crowds moving. Once again, it shows off the artist’s ability to be expansive. She completely nails it with this one.
The final track of the record is ‘Room Service’, which has been performed in different variations since 2020. It’s an acoustic track that is thought-provoking and brimming with imagery. Holly Humberstone sings about an idyllic sounding relationship where “no one can reach us”. The track is so pure and completely beautiful.
With that, Holly Humberstone’s debut record is complete. ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’ is a stunning display that showcases everything brilliant about the artist. The sheer sincerity and pureness of her lyrics make for a stunning collection of music.
Words by Matthew Caslin
