Few could have expected more from Holly Humberstone after the fully-fledged release of Paint My Bedroom Black. Between the release of her exceptional debut record, collaborations with Bombay Bicycle Club and a tour set to storm through the UK and highlight those charming electropop works, the time it takes to piece together an EP is sparse. Yet here we are. Work in Progress is far from unfinished. Spiral with Humberstone on this four-track EP. Leftovers from the Paint My Bedroom Black recordings? Something completely new? Who cares. This is new material from a rising star – and we would be wise to stock up on these quality releases. The post-album EP release format returns, Hozier is set to continue it next week with Unearth. More quality to come, but for now, Work in Progress will keep us ticking over.
If we use music to pad out the slow days, then Humberstone is certainly an exceptional choice. Work in Progress is a delightful collection of tracks. All the usual acoustic wonders are fitted into Dive, the opening track and a piece which seems to fit Humberstone as an alt-pop standard. They raise her profile, without question. Are they good? Of course they are. It’s Humberstone. Sharp lyrical moments, the fears we conjure for ourselves when we assume and the later anxieties and subsequent embarrassment of the facts. Produce those anxieties, and exorcise them from yourself. Dive deep into your own mind and find Humberstone has already cleaned up and presented a chance for renewal with this first track. Work in Progress is not setting itself up as a comfort listen but clear signs of the style begin to appear.
Title track Work in Progress has all the right bells and whistles to call itself an anthemic addition, but it has a further depth to it. Humberstone is at her best when surrounded by glistening and jagged electronics but to hear her voice placed on a pedestal is a nice change of pace. Work in Progress gives her the chance to issue some slicker charms, the comfortable blur of simple instrumentals and well-worked lyrics is the key here. Down Swinging holds those who can keep their nerve and temper their rage during the foul and nasty events of life to a high standard. Rightly so. Is it right to go down swinging when other options are available? Probably. Down Swinging certainly believes so. Those softer flourishes make their way back to the front of the queue on closer Easy Tiger, a neat little colloquialism to calm yourself down before launching into some wild flurry of rage.
Stick your feet up, then, as Humberstone requests. Not on the dashboard. Where the Americanisms fit on this Licolnshire-born artists’ EP is a jutting example of how artists must conform to the wider standards. Sam Fender did it with the deeply Americana-themed Hypersonic Missiles. Not just a blip, that. It does not harm Humberstone and her latest effort, which does feel like it extracts her personality well enough. But it also finds her sliding into the pool of acoustic, raw and emotionally charged indie pop singers. There is plenty out there already and while Work in Progress more than holds its own, it feels more like an experiment in range than a new sonic pursuit.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
