Get to Know: Holly Humberstone
At just 22 years old, Holly Humberstone has quickly embarked on an explosive rise to stardom on the alternative and indie rock scene. Quarantine gave way to breakout debut EP Falling Asleep At The Wheel, launching the UK singer into the music industry and landing herself a record deal with Interscope, Darkroom and Polydor Records. Humberstone has not shied away from the rawness present in her first EP. In the short package of just 21 minutes, sophomore EP The Walls Are Way Too Thin –released in November of 2021–follows Humberstone through a journey of love, loss and growing up.
Bringing up four daughters
Made the house a fortress
Dirty knees and honey bees
And nowhere else would sting as sweet
Can’t believe we’re turning out the lights
Haunted House
A soft and melodic opening in “Haunted House” drives listeners immediately into the vulnerability of Humberstone’s lyrics, and is a love letter towards her childhood home and family. This powerfully reverent look into her youth discusses Humberstone’s relationship with her sisters and the way that her youth has prompted her growth and development, which is a common theme in her previous tracks on her first EP. Growing up in a creatively open household in Grantham, England, Humberstone found herself expressing herself through a variety of artistic pursuits with her three sisters. Change is inevitable; “Haunted House” walks us through her path towards acceptance of leaving the home she’s always known and the comforts of the familiar that she will lose as she moves out.
You're blowing smoke rings in the corridors, I feel so cold
How come it rains inside?
The house is full, but I'm alone
With all the shit that still needs fixing, out of my control
It takes a hold of me
It takes a hold of me
The Walls Are Way Too Thin
Moving to title track “The Walls Are Way Too Thin,” Humberstone’s journey continues as she leaves her childhood home and moves out into her own flat in London. The track is bright and evocative of a more pop-based experience, but Humberstone has paired this with harrowing vocalism to express the experiences of feeling isolated while living with others. With Humberstone’s close relationship with her family, she has discussed that leaving her family in Grantham and moving into London caused deep feelings of loneliness. Coupling the missing home longing feelings with a new living situation that may not be perfectly ideal, but Humberstone creates a track that perfectly encapsulates the confusing and often conflicting experience of finding one’s own way in the world alone.
And I can tell you're over it by the amount you're on the internet
And I'll even help you pack your shit
But, please don't leave just yet— Don’t leave just yet
Please Don’t Leave Just Yet
“Please Don’t Leave Just Yet” is a collaborative work between Humberstone and The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who she has frequently credited as one of her musical inspirations. The feelings of lingering loneliness and wanting someone to stay is apparent throughout the song, even if Humberstone seems to acknowledge that the person is not good for her. Healy’s inspiration and contributions pull “Please Don’t Leave Just Yet” into the universe of The 1975’s recent albums A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018) and Notes on a Conditional Forum (2019), which both explore relationships in our ever-online existence, yet “Please Don’t Leave Just Yet” showcases Humberstone morphing Healy’s signature style into her own.
How on earth– How on earth do you hold it together?
Doesn't it mess you up a bit? Doesn't it hurt?
Let it burn, this is hell on earth and you're enjoying the weather
One for the team, I'll take the hit
Do your wors
Thursday
Continuing the EP’s story of loss, loneliness and missing connections, “Thursday” finds Humberstone asking a multitude of questions for a relationship that is dissolving. The title references the point of view of the singer asking to meet on Thursday and talk, however the song quickly relents into the pain of unanswered questions and ignored messages. The relatability of rejection and being haunted by the ghosts of relationships makes “Thursday” stand out amongst her discography thus far, and Humberstone’s undeniable lyricism drives home this pain into a stunning anthem for people finding themselves in-between.
And you said, "Scarlett, I don't need to be responsible for everything you're feeling
You're emotional grim reaper, I feel bad for you
I can't entertain these games, hate to rain on your parade
It's just the way I'm feeling
It's just the way I'm feeling”
Scarlett
After the confusion and disappointment of “Thursday,'' the relationship fully ends within “Scarlett,” which is inspired by and named after Humberstone’s friend. In the description of the music video Humberstone said, “She vented to me for probably about a year and so I went through all the stages of a break up with her and watched as she slowly realized her worth and that he wasn’t worth her tears anymore. I wanted to write this one from her point of view. It’s a pretty positive song as it’s about her finally letting go, realizing his many faults and taking back her life.” Release of emotion is evident within this track, which sonically diverges from the first four tracks of the EP and finds Humberstone entirely letting go in a belt that is meant for loudspeakers.
We had a shelf life but neither believed it
We just gave up reading the signs
I make conversation to fill every silence
Then put on my headphones and cry
Friendly Fire
While “Thursday” and “Scarlett” trailed a one-sided relationship that the singer’s point of view immersed in, final track “Friendly Fire” finds Humberstone coming to terms with the pitfalls of a relationship that simply wasn’t meant to be. This track details her realizing slowly that she has fallen out of love, yet she does not seem to be able to decide whether she should end the relationship or not due to the fear of hurting her partner. As the song progresses, Humberstone seems to realize that staying within the relationship but not fully committed would hurt her partner more than cutting ties now, with the song and EP as a whole ending with the following lyrics from the chorus:
You were there, where was I?
Know that somewhere down the line
If I hurt you, it's just friеndly fire
Well, it happens all thе time, guess I'm broken by design
If I burn you, it's all friendly fire
Friendly Fire
Since the release of “The Walls Are Way Too Thin,” Humberstone has also found herself gaining international recognition with sold out shows and collaborations with artists such as Sam Fender on smash hit “Seventeen Going Under - Acoustic Version.” She is currently opening on girl in red’s “if i could make it go quiet” tour and later this year will be opening an American leg of Olivia Rodrigo’s “SOUR” tour. Humberstone has also been nominated for a variety of awards, and she is the latest recipient of the BRIT’s Rising Star Award, putting her on an elite and prestigious list including Adele (2008), Florence + The Machine (2009), James Bay (2015) and Sam Fender (2019). With deeply personal lyrics, strong backing tracks, and widespread support and accolades, Holly Humberstone has cemented herself as a standout force in the indie genre.