Holly Humberstone: Cruel World review – Taylor Swift favorite trades gothic gloom for pop flare | music

AAs a profession, pop stardom has been in existential crisis for some time. It was simple – a single was the only real qualification – but in a post-monoculture world, a title is often bestowed as a result of incremental success: a British Rising Star award and a Taylor Swift support slot here, four million monthly listeners on Spotify and a Top 5 album there.

This, specifically, is the autobiography of Lincolnshire’s Holly Humberstone, who cemented her place in the pop world without ever bothering the singles chart. While undeniable diva appeal has eluded the 26-year-old, her voice is a perfect fit for the charts. Like Swift, Humberstone delivers earnest lyrics with intimate, near-ASMR tones over ’80s pop laced with a deluge of hooks. On this second album, she drops a hint of the gothic melancholy that accompanied her debut, Paint My Bedroom Black. Cruel World is peppy on the border with euphoric: the overly sunny breakup song To Love Somebody is backed by a stadium-ready pre-chorus, while the catchy White Noise masterfully delivers on the nostalgic disco naff of Kylie’s imperial stage channeling.

Despite the odd line — “I’m going to shake my nonexistent ass to this shit song,” she warns in Drunk Dialing — the production is generally recognizable and gorgeous (especially the happy breakdown that concludes “Make It All Better”). Combined with her hard-working approach to delivering crowd-pleasing tunes, it’s hard to think of a reason why Humberstone couldn’t have a long career as a pop star – perhaps even in both the old and new sense.