Holly Humberstone Gets Painfully Honest With Her New Record, “Paint My Bedroom Black”
Holly Humberstone returns with her Sophomore album, Paint My Bedroom Black, incorporating more inspired production, indie/alt influences, and her classic understated lyricism. Humberstone had a large rollout for the album, with tracks like Kissing in Swimming Pools, Into Your Room, Superbloodmoon, Antichrist, and Room Service, all being released as singles. There is a wonderful variety of influences on the tracks, and it’s made clear through the overall change in tone from previous projects. And though that sound has changed slightly, her vocal and lyrical prowess stays at the front of listeners' minds as they work their way through the project.
Like the lyrics in the title track, Paint My Bedroom Black, the project is a rebirth for Humberstone. There’s a transformation in music and soul, portrayed simply by lyrics such as, “Finally I’m living, not surviving.” and while the track talks about the joy of leaving someone, its ladder, Into Your Room, says the opposite. Humberstone begs someone not to drive away, comparing them to the Northern Star, saying, “My sorry ass revolves around you.” While the message might be melancholy, the production by Rob Milton and Ethan Gruska feels hopeful, with electronic-sounding plucking and a consistent backline.
Cocoon takes listeners back to their teenage years when they were just “going through something. The acoustic guitar intro highlights Humberstone’s vocals and transitions well into the drumline, giving the song a sort of upbeat melancholy supported by the honest lyrics on the track. Kissing in Swimming Pools carries the acoustic guitar into the next track, however, it’s tonally opposite. The track feels like longing, it’s a reckoning with all that is wrong and how just one person can fix it all. Lyrics like, “In this bathing suit, I would die for you,” show these simple moments through Humberstone’s eyes perfectly.
The world of a traveling musician can be lonely, and it’s perfectly portrayed in Ghost Me. Humberstone talks about the struggle of sleeping in hotels, and not hearing from the people she cares about. The pace of the song increases about a minute in, as Humberstone tries to make her point further and while this track talks about existential loneliness, the theme is consistent through the next track, Superbloodmoon (feat. d4vd). With lyrics like, “I’ve missed your soul forever.” and “So Superbloodmoon in the sky. Can you see it from where you are?” Humberstone talks about missing someone while you’re away and this feeling that you might never catch up. Though the production on the track is a little underwhelming and the feature feels unnecessary, the vocals support its place on the record.
Antichrist uses a more electronic style than is common for Humberstone but it feels refreshing on the project. The message is dramatic, and it packs a punch for listeners, giving relatability to those who may feel like they’re the problem. Lauren continues with a similar idea, the concept of messing everything up, Humberstone saying, “I used to drive you home, now I just drive you crazy.” Though the lyrics and vocals are fantastic, the track blends in after a standout like Antichrist. The electronic sound continues into Baby Blues, a track that feels more like an interlude and sits at just a little over a minute long. However, they might be some of my favorite lyrics on the project due to their simplicity and how raw Humberstone is on the track, discussing dive bars, and someone's eyes.
A change on the record is marked by Flatling, an almost bitter Humberstone coming to the surface. Saying, “The city’s much too small for me and you.” This is the project’s pièce de rèsistance, an ode to her influences, musical creativity, and her trademarked songwriting skills. This shift in tone gives a new level of depth to the record that hadn’t been there before. Elvis Impersonator only continues to show Humberstone's diversity, this time in her own feelings. The track is walking a tightrope between anger and love, needing someone even with this sort of resentment, a complex line towed gracefully through the use of the piano and soft weight of the song.
Girl is Humberstone’s ode to female sadness and jealousy; The shared experience of never feeling good enough, and the feeling being compounded by not being the one chosen. The mood of the track is darker and wistful, fitting her lyrics and longing. One of the singles, Room Service closes the album with a sort of a classic sound for Humberstone. Her voice, laid brightly over a simple acoustic guitar line, perfectly wraps up the melancholy, regret, joy, and nostalgia that this album invokes. The track feels young and sad, it's relatable in its coping and its simplicity. With lyrics like, “And someday, we’ll look around and see we’ve lived another year… Cause’ you’ve lost too much sleep for one lifetime.” Humberstone is able to capture her audience one last time and remind everyone listening exactly why they wanted to in the first place.
Find more information and tour dates at https://www.hollyhumberstone.com/ !