ALBUM REVIEW: Holly Humberstone : Cruel World

This month saw the highly-anticipated sophomore release from Alt-Pop princess Holly Humberstone. Despite its pessimistic title, ‘Cruel World’ is undeniably Humberstone’s most confident, polished release to date. Across its tracklist, she builds an almost ethereal, fictional landscape that moves effortlessly between forward momentum and a lingering trance of vulnerability and yearning. 

Photo Credit: Silken Weinberg

The album starts with the interlude ‘So It Starts…’, which seamlessly introduces the motif that anchors the following track, ‘Make It All Better’.  This song unfolds a gothic narrative centred on love and grief, effectively setting the tone for themes that are expertly threaded throughout the record. Notably, the title track ‘Cruel World’ leans further into more electronic textures, whilst retaining her signature lyrical focus on bittersweet romance. Together, these early moments highlight her clear evolution since her debut, offering a masterclass in how she fuses narrative detail with undeniably catchy songwriting.

A standout moment on the tracklist is arguably her most beautiful acoustic offering yet. ‘Lucy’, written about her sister, is suffused with a palpable sense of love and familial bond. Humberstone’s intimacy and vulnerability shine through, and the track provides a well-judged pause in momentum and slows down the record at just the right moment. Overall, the song spotlights her versatility and songwriting prowess in a sensitive yet assured display.

The pace is picked back up again with songs like ‘Drunk Dialling’ and ‘Blue Dream’, which affirm her expert ability to distil the inevitable struggles of relationships into sharply observed songwriting. Across both tracks, the percussion acts as a powerful driving force, drawing the listener even deeper into the world she has created with this album. Meanwhile, the occasional synth flourishes sustain the record’s ethereal atmosphere, preserving the dreamlike quality that defines her sound so beautifully. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDl3cedY9fE_g&v=l3cedY9fE_g

Piano ballad ‘Beauty Pageant’ draws the album to a fitting and considered conclusion. Addressing insecurities and unrealistic beauty standards, she adeptly unites her fans through these themes that are impossible to escape in today’s society. The ballad has its moment of dramatic appeal, with a prevailing string ensemble that lingers in its final moments . Ultimately, ‘Cruel World’ cements Holly Humberstone’s place as one of the most exciting, compelling voices in today’s alt-pop landscape. Her careful balance of vulnerability and immediacy remains her greatest strength, and this record stands as her most accomplished work to date.