When listening to Holly Humberstone, fans can expect one of two things: a feeling of euphoria or a mental spiral that will have you questioning your 20s. Having released several singles from her upcoming record over the past few months, Humberstone promises to leave a similar mark with her new album, “Cruel World,” which is set to release on April 10.
The three singles — “Die Happy,” “To Love Somebody” and “Cruel World” — are a testament to Humberstone’s storytelling ability. If these releases are any indication of the album as a whole, fans of the singer should be awaiting the April record with bated breath.
“Die Happy”
The first single, “Die Happy,” wastes no time establishing the album’s alternative-pop atmosphere, opening with a cinematic crescendo of voices, record scratches and ominous synths.
But almost immediately, the hodgepodge of sounds is cut off by Humberstone’s breathy vocals. In just two lines, she manages to paint a vivid, uneasy picture of emotional surrender: “You said in a past life we were spiders / Or something neo-goth and grandiose.”
The lyrics capture the dramatic, overwhelming feeling of lovesickness, using references to death and ghosts to depict a relationship as other-worldly. The chorus builds on these same images, with Humberstone singing that “if we crash and hit the dash, baby, tragically / To die with you is to die happy.”
Alongside its ambient guitars and dreamy synths, the chorus is a perfect representation of one of Humberstone’s greatest skills — capturing a complex feeling in just a few lines.
“To Love Somebody”
“To Love Somebody” is an out-of-body experience. While “Die Happy,” manages to effortlessly portray lovesickness, Humberstone’s second single captures that and more. The song navigates through love, loss, self-doubt and everything in-between.
The lyrics embrace the messiness of life and the constant emotional ups and downs of growing up, claiming that while “it all breaks down, it always does,” it simultaneously “all works out, it always does.”
The chorus encapsulates this same unpredictability through a simple yet compelling idea: Even if you get hurt and ultimately lose someone, at the end of the day, “at least you got to love somebody.”
Mixing shouted lyrics with ethereally vocalized choruses, the song’s arrangement makes listeners feel both overwhelmed and empowered. “To Love Somebody” points out that life and love are messy, and in order to have something good, you have to accept the potential bad that may come with it.
“Cruel World”
Humberstone’s titular single — released on March 13 — embraces a more playful nature.
The song opens with an extraterrestrial-sounding synth before transitioning into Humberstone’s more typical indie-pop sound. During the first line of the chorus, her knack for instrumental experimentation shines through with a xylophone-like synth that initially catches listeners off guard but ultimately charms them.
While the lyrics of the first verse are relatively simple, the pre-chorus’s fast-paced wording is dangerously addictive. With clever imagery and playful metaphors — such as “I can be a social hand grenade / Tick-tick-tick-tick boom,” — the section doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Similar to “Die Happy,” the chorus is cinematic and romantic. With sappy lines like “wherever you are is my favorite place” and “it’s a cruel world without you, baby” the chorus is punchy and straight to the point. Its relatively simple lyrics perfectly complement the quick, playful lines of the rest of the song.
Ann Gray Golpira is a Section Editor covering Arts & Culture. She is from Norfolk, Virginia and plans on concentrating in both International and Public Affairs and Anthropology. Outside of The Herald, you can find her writing, recording and producing her original music.
