Holly Humberstone Helps Take The Edge Off Feeling Lost

Album Cover for Cruel World

There is no manual for navigating your twenties, and Holly Humberstone doesn’t pretend to have one. On her latest project, Cruel World, she shares a raw, honest soundtrack that highlights the coming-of-age experience. It’s a chaotic, constant tug-of-war between losing yourself in someone else and trying to find yourself on your own. The album is a sonic timeline of what it feels like to grow up when you aren't quite ready to.

“So It Starts” is the opening instrumental track made up of soul-stirring violins that pull the listener into a deep, emotional atmosphere. It’s the perfect introduction, creating a space where the meaning is left entirely up to the listener’s interpretation. It then dissolves into the next track, “Make It All Better.” Diving into the intensity of a relationship’s honeymoon phase, it draws on a specific kind of obsession that feels both intoxicating and overwhelming. The lyrics write a desperate, almost teenage-like need for a partner. 

“If I'm bein' a little bitch/ it's 'cause I hate it when you leave

I think I need you like the air/ I think I need you like a teenager needs weed.”

Musically, it follows the relationship’s timeline. By the end, the production mirrors that energy, transforming into a glitch-core, hyperpop anthem, which is very different from Holly’s previous projects. It’s a reminder that love, in its earliest stages, can feel like a total loss of control.

Love is the most prominent theme throughout this project, and it’s very loud on the title track, “Cruel World.” Holly writes a sincere reminder of how tough life can feel when you’re on your own. The lyrics highlight the idea that without the people you love, the world is a much harder place to navigate. Her voice is smooth and full of longing, as if she’s pouring her heart into the music to show exactly what inspired this album. Even with the heavy theme, the song stays bright and upbeat making it an easy listen. That vibrant energy carries directly into “Die Happy” which explores the intense, personal way a person can feel about another. It describes a connection so deep it feels like a spell, keeping you locked in a whimsical, tranced-out state. The lyrics emphasize a desperate longing where even a moment apart feels like too much. Holly expresses a desire to stay by this person’s side until the very end, making the track feel both haunting and deeply romantic. It perfectly summarizes the overwhelming, almost crazy feeling of being head-over-heels ifor someone.

“Lucy” sets itself apart from the rest of the album. It’s intimate in a platonic way. Holly perfectly captures the chaotic reality of the female experience, painting a picture that is messy and reckless. There’s a heavy anxiety that comes with being young and feeling like you’re drifting towards nothing. It’s exhausting not knowing what you’re working towards, but the lyrics are a great reminder to stop fighting the confusion and start embracing the beauty of not knowing. 

“Lucy, don't you know? / Behind every rain cloud

There is a promise that flowers will grow.”

Cruel World is a beautiful tribute to the era of life where nothing makes sense. It’s for the girls and guys crying in bathroom stalls and the ones falling recklessly in love for the first time. Holly reminds us that being young is supposed to be a whirlwind of mistakes and deep connections. Feeling lost is a part of the process. Let this album be the promise that something beautiful is growing underneath it all.