My mind wanders when listening to indie-pop music, and I think to myself: do all these indie-pop UK singer-songwriters have similar directions with their music? Obviously, I’m wrong, as they tend to have a proper identity within the production, and I have heard my fair share of artists I’ve become a fan of, like Birdy. Relatively new to the stage is Holly Humberstone, and like my previous thought and the standards I’ve set as a fan, she falls somewhere in the middle. Paint My Bedroom Black is directly in that middle as it carries some vibrant, poignant moments that get bolstered by unique touches in the production; unfortunately, it has stale moments, where it never seems to grip the attention of my ears, unlike “Flatlining,” one of my favorites, where she goes beyond simple pop textures to implement some crisp electronic synchronicity. A shift of pace from the more apropos synth-pop influence on other tracks, the hidden gems shimmer through, even when other songs don’t have that juice, like the mundane “Kissing In Swimming Pools,” compared to the beautifully radiant folk-pop influenced “Cocoon.” It’s a good album – some bumps along the way, but enough replayable good.

Paint My Bedroom Black is like many singer-songwriter pop albums where the themes are relative; it’s sometimes pleasant, too linear, and one-dimensional narratives and tangents to go through, so a song can easily transition, but you’re bound to tap into something great that will swoon you. With “Kissing In Swimming Pools,” the writing isn’t as pronounced, feeling dull and doing little with talking about wanting more; the production is more broken-down acoustics, creating an afterthought of a ballad that misses to do something special, like the beautifully painted title song where Holly Humberstone speaks on the duality of her life. Much of the album is about her finding peace within the stress of being a musician, touring, and just living for a day without these external stressors. The content in the music can feel sizzled as it can tread familiarity; there are varying moments where that isn’t so, and that’s because of how she approaches it, like in “Elvis Impersonator,” where Humberstone sings about missing her sister who moved to Japan for her studies. Humbersonte faces her weaknesses in “Antichrist” or the need to feel busy with knowledge amidst the stressors around her on “Ghost Me.” 

I felt the album didn’t come together as a whole. It’s trying to maneuver through a consistent stasis where connectivity is relative while the production finds ways to keep it interesting. When listening and reflecting on what Humberstone wants to say, there is something underlying the youthful lyrics where particular connectivity shines, like bringing a little creative darkness with this tale of love and heartbreak on “Flatlining” or one-sided love due to external factors in “Into Your Bedroom,” and this includes the previously mentioned too. Though the writing isn’t necessarily youthful, it’s a little simple, but some good performances can slide it aside, making some of the weaker moments shine, even when everything around it isn’t as strong. In this particular case, I’m talking about the song “Girl;” it uses physicality and analogies to reinforce the desire to be someone’s – it doesn’t do it quite well and just feels like an afterthought, similar to “Superbloodmoon,” which comes and goes swiftly after a nearly forgettable dual performance between her and d4vd. The performance relays two long-distance lovers talking through a phone and reminiscing since the last time as they look up at the blood moon.

What did it for me was the production – predominately constructed by Rob Milton with co-production from Ethan Gruska, Jonah Summerfield, Noah Conrad, PARISI – Holly Humberstone maneuvers through different styles while retaining a consistent tone between songs. It’s what made the first three tracks such an excellent run. It opens with a more ominously atmospheric synth-pop track in the eponymous opener, followed by a funner alt-pop song that sees her reflecting on lost chances for love due to a busy schedule involving touring. It closes with a fun, reflective, and fun track about asking someone to hang out – age hit me when it opened with a line about The O.C. due to age-related assumptions – it’s more stripped down with a little bit of a folkish drawl, with one melody giving me faint parallels to “The Boxer,” particularly when she hits that Lie-de-die/Lie-de-die/Lie-de-die at the end of the chorus. It continues with others, like the EDM-pilled “Flatlining” and the more smooth and fluid “Elvis Impression.” “Superbloodmoon” also has solid production, where it makes the guitar more pronounced, like a third character in the story. 

These small or significant instances in the music are enough to give it a whirl. Paint My Bedroom Black didn’t make a statement or have me head over heels. It’s fine where it is, being relative to its listeners, as it understands the complexities of being able to tell a story and let others grip the music and find that connectivity. It was enough for me to keep spinning despite feeling very lukewarm to some of the music, but hey, who knows, maybe Holly Humberstone will wow me with the next one – for now, it’s just okay, and well, just give it a spin and let me know what you thought.