Holly Humberstone Paint My Bedroom Black
Released Oct 13, 2023 Polydor Records
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 5, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Holly Humberstone's Paint My Bedroom Black stakes a confident claim in the contemporary dark-pop and pop-punk revival, marrying melancholia with punchy, radio-ready production.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Ghost Me
3 critic mentions
“a song about heartbreak feeling bad enough to start googling symptoms, finally hits that sweet spot” — The Line of Best Fit
Flatlining
1 critic mention
“However, ‘Flatlining’ comes extremely close to taking that top spot” — Hot Press
Baby Blues
2 critic mentions
“Though the shortest track, ‘Baby Blues’ packs an incredibly powerful punch” — Hot Press
Full critic consensus
Holly Humberstone's Paint My Bedroom Black stakes a confident claim in the contemporary dark-pop and pop-punk revival, marrying melancholia with punchy, radio-ready production. Critics generally praise the album's emotional directness and genre fusion, noting that songs like “Ghost Me”, “Baby Blues” and “Flatlining” emerge as the record's most memorable moments and often its best songs.
Across three professional reviews the record earned a 76.67/100 consensus score, with reviewers consistently highlighting Humberstone's knack for crafting vivid, coming-of-age vignettes set against distorted, synth-tinged guitars and slick percussion. Praise centers on the intimate standouts - “Ghost Me” repeatedly surfaces as a critical favorite for its immediacy, while “Antichrist”, “Baby Blues” and “Girl” are singled out for revealing the album's darker vulnerability. At times critics argue the larger, glossy arrangements blunt immediacy, turning what could be raw confession into polished alt-pop.
That tension between intimacy and sheen frames most reviews: some hail Paint My Bedroom Black as a bold step that broadens Humberstone's palette, others call it a transitional record where the best tracks are the quieter, risk-taking ones. Taken together, the critical consensus suggests the album is worth hearing for its standout tracks and emotional clarity, even if its ambitions occasionally outpace its focus. Read on for full reviews and track-by-track notes.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Paint My Bedroom Black
Into Your Room
Cocoon
Kissing In Swimming Pools
Ghost Me
Antichrist
Lauren
Baby Blues
Flatlining
Elvis Impersonators
Girl
Room Service
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Ho
Critic's Take
Holly Humberstone arrives fully formed on Paint My Bedroom Black, the record where she leans into the pop-punk renaissance with real assurance. The title track opens with a beat-driven indie-rock thrust, while “Ghost Me” and “Baby Blues” are the hidden gems that steal the heart with layered harmonies and distorted, sensual vocals. “Flatlining” comes extremely close to being the album's pinnacle, a three-minute bruiser the reviewer repeatedly points you back to. Cantwell's tone is admiring and precise - listen, and listen again to these best songs on Paint My Bedroom Black.
Key Points
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‘Ghost Me’ is singled out as the most beautifully emotional track with layered harmonies.
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The album's strength is upholding coming-of-age pop-punk while introducing electronic and genre-defying elements.
Themes
Critic's Take
Holly Humberstone crafts a vivid, melancholic world on Paint My Bedroom Black, where the best tracks double as miniature scenes. The title track “Paint My Bedroom Black” opens in a transfixed darkened room and stakes the album's mood, while “Ghost Me” projects a chaotic night with effortless immediacy. “Antichrist” pours with visceral heartbreak and stands as one of the record's most affecting moments. These standout songs make clear why listeners search for the best songs on Paint My Bedroom Black and the best tracks on Paint My Bedroom Black alike.
Key Points
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The title track is best for setting the album’s transfixed, darkened-room atmosphere.
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The album’s core strengths are its melancholia, nostalgic detail, and scene-like songwriting.
Themes
Critic's Take
Holly Humberstone’s Paint My Bedroom Black often aims for grander stages but frequently trades immediacy for glossy scope. The reviewer admires the quieter triumphs like “Ghost Me” and the darker, risk-taking trio “Antichrist”, “Baby Blues” and “Girl” that finally let Humberstone’s voice breathe. There is a sense that the album’s best songs – particularly “Ghost Me” and “Girl” – reveal the emotional core that the larger production sometimes buries. Overall it reads as a transitional record, full of slick melodies but uneven in how it balances intimacy and commercial sheen.
Key Points
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“Ghost Me” is the best song because its stripped-down production centers Humberstone’s voice and emotional immediacy.
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The album’s core strength is slickly crafted melodies and tasteful production, though larger arrangements sometimes undercut intimacy.