Holly Humberstone releases her first EP filled with feather-light vocals over a varied production style to create some interesting indie pop.
There’s not too much to be found on Holly Humberstone, in fact, she’s still pretty ‘indie’ in today’s standard. Yet with a generous 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, it’s clear that her recent tour with Lewis Capaldi has rocketed her into mainstream. Humberstone corners that same market of downer music as Capaldi with a little injection of modern pop tropes.
I didn’t know what to expect from this EP, so this is much a First Exposure as it is a review. The first song doesn’t start lightly; Humberstone addresses mental health in quite a straightforward and beautiful way. Her delicate voice flutters over choppy electric guitar chords, and it’s a genuinely raw song with lines like “sister I’m trying to hold off the lightning and help you escape from your head.” Following this is the title track Falling Asleep At The Wheel which is mostly piano-based addressing issues of helplessness. What I like about this one is the beautiful synth-pop beat on the chorus that’s like an ode to Lorde’s Melodrama. As I keep listening, it’s nice to see that all the songs have their unique touch as we transition into Overkill which is a mix of 90’s rock guitar on the top of a distorted, wavy synth.
BBC describes Holly Humberstone as generating “dark, wonky pop” and I believe that she focuses on giving something raw and meaningful over a fusion of rock and pop. There’s clear intention there and care that has come out of this EP, even with the very blunt Drop Dead which is pretty self-explanatory. Humberstone even stated, “If they’re not tattoo lyrics, then they don’t make the record.” That kind of cocky self-appreciation is refreshing and a sign of someone who truly cares about what they are releasing.
Overall, as I continue listening to this album, it’s reminiscent of 90’s indie like The Cranberries and more modern synth experiments of Lorde and The 1975. Humberstone represents a new era of indie women paving their path with a gift for the musical play and experimental harmonious combinations like in my favourite Vanilla.
It’s a strong EP and whets the appetite for a full-length album soon.
saharamelts 