Album Review: Holly Humberstone – Paint My Bedroom Black

By Rosie Burgess | December 9, 2023

Words by Rosie Burgess

Holly Humberstone’s long-awaited debut album, Paint My Bedroom Black, spills her deepest thoughts and most honest confessions into an immersive alt-pop record.

Following the success of her EP, The Walls Are Way Too Thin, Humberstone was thrown into stardom and quickly became one of the most loved songwriters of this generation. Throughout the last few years, she toured with Olivia Rodrigo and Girl in Red, collaborated with Sam Fender and won the Rising Star award at the BRITs. Almost two years on, Paint My Bedroom Black puts a spin on a typical coming-of-age record and instead depicts a 23-year-old navigating life in the spotlight. 

The record is driven by low-slung rhythm guitars and synth pulses, providing a backing track to her vulnerable and self-deprecating lyricism. Humberstone perfects artistic melodrama in the title track, Paint My Bedroom Black, with the line, ‘I’m gonna turn my music up / I’m gonna tear my posters up.’ The themes of angsty, young heartbreak reach their peak in Into Your Room with ‘You’re the centre of my universe / My sorry ass revolves around you.’

The record is a familiar yet refreshing expression of hopeless honesty and youth. It places Humberstone in a generation of talented songwriters inspired by pop greats like Taylor Swift and Lorde.

7/10