The UK’s latest rising indie-pop singer Holly Humberstone continues to captivate listeners, new and returning alike, with her debut album Paint My Bedroom Black, released on October 13 via Polydor/Interscope Records. The album is an indie pop masterpiece, combining deep and vulnerable lyricism with soothing, light and flowy instrumentation as Humberstone invites listeners into her mind and explores themes of love, loss, isolation, and friendship. The Encore Nights was recently invited to attend a virtual press conference with Humberstone, hosted by Universal Music Group’s 1824 division, where she opened up about the making of the album.

During the conversation, Humberstone revealed that much of the album was crafted during and inspired by her time on the road, especially during her North American tours with Girl in Red and Olivia Rodrigo, as it was simultaneously exciting and isolating for her, and writing songs helped her manage these conflicting emotions, serving as a form of journaling. 

In fact, the first song written for the album was crafted even before the release of her second EP The Walls Are Way Too Thin in late 2021, but she waited to release it because she “knew when she was writing it that it should be an album closer.” This track is, of course, PMBB’s closing track “Room Service”, a song that Humberstone wrote about her friends and missing them whenever she couldn’t be around them during lockdown times. She revealed that this track impacted the rest of the album because she felt similar emotions while writing some of the other tracks, missing her friends when she couldn’t be near them, and she wanted to hone in on these feelings because “not enough people write [songs] about platonic relationships.”

Other standout tracks are “Into Your Room”, a collaboration with producer Ethan Gruska, (which was a dream team-up for Humberstone), “Antichrist”, a different type of breakup song that explores feelings of guilt and selfishness about causing hurt rather than crying about being hurt, and the title track “Paint My Bedroom Black”, which Humberstone revealed was birthed from “wanting to shut out negativity”, and that writing the song was “a relief to get off her chest”, turning negative feelings into something slightly more positive and upbeat.

While Humberstone gets incredibly personal in her songwriting, she tries to keep her work and her personal life separate as much as possible, something increasingly difficult to do in today’s social media-centric music industry. She stated that “I want to be able to share things about myself on my terms,” which is a very healthy approach to have, especially when her art is so open and vulnerable. 

Overall, Paint My Bedroom Black is a must-listen for anyone craving some raw, honest songwriting with pretty indie-pop instrumentals, and Humberstone will be an artist that we should all keep our attention on, as she is sure to continue making a name for herself in the near future.

Humberstone is set to embark on an extensive headlining world tour next year, with an Australian run kicking off on December 30 and running into January before continuing to Japan, Europe, the United Kingdom, and a newly announced North American leg extending her tour through May. All upcoming tour dates can be found on her website.  

Paint My Bedroom Black is out now wherever you get your music.