Holly Humberstone Shuts Out The World On ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’
The star’s long-awaited debut album has finally arrived
Holly Humberstone has shared her long-awaited debut album, Paint My Bedroom Black, cementing her place as one of Britain’s most exciting rising stars.
The album was written while the singer-songwriter toured the world after winning the BRITs Rising Star award in December 2021, and finds her lamenting not being able to be there for friends, family, and partners as she goes through a whirlwind change in lifestyle.
After singing of shutting out the world in the album’s opening song – and title track – Humberstone recalls “chaotic night[s]” out with her mates and urges them not to leave her behind on “Ghost Me.” “And if you try to ghost me and quit being in my life/Don’t you dare,” she pleads. On “Room Service,” she promises gifts and activities when she finally gets out the other side of touring and can come back to Earth, while “Antichrist” finds her reckoning with the way she treated an ex in the midst of all the mayhem.
Although Paint My Bedroom Black is a record of processing the last few years in Humberstone’s life, there’s also room for new romance. “Superbloodmoon” features d4vd and finds the pair taking on the roles of lovers kept apart by distance, wondering if the other is looking at the same sky as them. “Kissing In Swimming Pools,” meanwhile, captures the feeling of falling in love, the star wishing to be able to stay just a bit longer with her new partner.
Paint My Bedroom Black has already drawn critical acclaim, with NME assessing: “Ultimately, Paint My Bedroom Black finds the artist trying to do right by her loved ones and make sense of her own turbulent world, but it’s also a cue to listeners that things could go anywhere from here. In pursuit of an authentic sound, Humberstone proves that she’s not only inhabiting her own space – and beckoning listeners in – but also building out the walls.”
Rolling Stone, meanwhile, declared: “On Paint My Bedroom Black, Humberstone doubles down on her voracious honesty, laying bare her deepest regrets, doom scroll nights, and drinking habits. But while the 23-year-old’s outward aesthetic is dark and gothic, her catchy pop songs are bright, upbeat and radio-ready.”
Earlier this month, the star announced her biggest UK and European tour to date, which will take place in Spring 2024. The tour will begin in Paris on February 13 and run through March 16, when it wraps up in Dublin. Along the way, Humberstone will headline London’s Eventim Apollo. Find more details and tickets on her official website.
