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Oct 18, 2023 Web Exclusive By Austin Saalman

The current decade has proven remarkably productive for emergent Brit Award-winning indie pop sensation Holly Humberstone, whose 2021-released The Walls Are Way Too Thin EP garnered her widespread critical acclaim, placing her on the pop cultural radar. The following year, Humberstone opened for Olivia Rodrigo on the latter’s Sour tour and released her first compilation, Can You Afford to Lose Me?, generating further buzz. At long last, Humberstone has released her debut album—an expertly crafted, richly atmospheric delve into the depths of “bad love” and youthful uncertainty. In essence, the stunning Paint My Bedroom Black is a late-night drive with no particular destination, an insomniac’s final cigarette smoked while leaning out of one’s bedroom window. Humberstone’s sleek melodies waft like ghostly mists across the surfaces of midnight swimming pools, her distinctive voice a beguiling synthesis of adolescent restlessness and twentysomething introspection.

An apparent harbinger of the avant-pop genre, Humberstone adorns her sound with eccentric electronica and moody synth flourishes, lending much of Paint My Bedroom Black a consistently experimental edge. Lyrically, Humberstone travels leagues beyond many of her contemporaries, her words boasting a striking eloquence, their heavily poetic bent elevating the album. Humberstone’s intriguing melodies reveal a knack for crafting infectious art-pop gems, complementing her words, whether she is declaring her own rebirth and liberation (“Paint My Bedroom Black”) or expressing optimism at the prospect of rekindling a significant romance (“Cocoon”). Humberstone confesses, contemplates, and proclaims with such earnest heart that it is impossible for the listener not to root for her. Elsewhere, the beguiling “Ghost Me” and stirring “Lauren” call to mind the music of Lorde, to whose creative throne Humberstone is surely a worthy aspirant, while such tracks as the chilly “Antichrist” and glitchy “Flatlining” showcase Humberstone’s bold desire to test the waters of modern pop music.

Despite its overall consistency and quality, Paint My Bedroom Black’s three standout tracks demonstrate Humberstone’s remarkable abilities as an artist, proving her a force to be reckoned with. The majestic “Kissing in Swimming Pools”—perhaps Paint My Bedroom Black’s key cut—is an intoxicating, acoustic-driven ballad of fleeting youth, Humberstone singing, “So can we kiss in your swimming pool?/In this bathing suit, I would die for you/Maybe I don’t have to leave so soon/You look heavenly in this shade of blue.” Here, she elaborates upon several of the album’s themes—namely the thrill of being 23 and infatuated, out all night and brimming with hope that true love might become possible within the spectral glow of underwater light, hair smelling of chlorine, head swimming with desire. Likewise, the phenomenal “Superbloodmoon” evokes vivid emotion with such lines as, “So can we strip down to our vitals?/I’m obsessed with your design.” This collaboration with Houston-based indie artist d4vd sums the album up with its pleadingly soulful vulnerability and stylish soundscapes, the duo’s dreamlike performance rendering the track an ideal late-night bedroom jam, likely to entice plenty of listeners yet unfamiliar with Humberstone’s output. Finally, the wistful art-pop of “Girl” washes over the listener in intricate sonic waves, with Humberstone confessing, “And in a perfect world, I’d be your girl.” This track’s composition is especially notable, as it is here that Humberstone has seemingly perfected her formula, allowing her sound to remain accessible and appealing, while taking an abundance of experimental liberties.

Paint My Bedroom Black is an impressive effort, entirely worth the hype. These 13 snapshots of heartache and pining vividly capture the dejection and mania of youth, Humberstone’s raw passion often penetrated by vivid sensations of sadness and regret. Paint My Bedroom Black succeeds in further elevating Humberstone to higher artistic echelons, each track indicative of a tremendous musical talent. One cannot help but feel grateful in the wake of her recent breakthrough, as her promising career has only begun. (www.hollyhumberstone.com)

Author rating: 8/10