Cynical SallyMusic Roast

Music Roast

Cruel World

Holly Humberstone ยท Indie Pop

Reviewed 2026-04-11
Sally7.8/10
Cynical Sally
โ€œThere is still one Sam Fender feature and two songs about a specific boy who specifically wronged her, which is starting to be a genre unto itself. At some point the breakup songs have to start feeling like choices instead of obligations.โ€

The Roast

โ€œHolly Humberstone's second album Cruel World is the sound of someone who has been called 'promising' for four years finally deciding to stop being promising and start being good. The production is colder than her debut, the lyrics are sharper, and there is a track at position seven that will get stuck in your head for a week. She is growing up in public and it is starting to look like a career instead of a hype cycle.โ€
Can you handle it?

Sally's not done with you yet.

Drop a URL, screenshot, or file and Sally will give you the honest truth.

The Bright Side

The collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers on track four is doing something genuinely interesting with harmony. The album commits to a consistent emotional palette without repeating itself, which is harder than most second albums make it look. Holly finally sounds like she trusts her own voice enough to stop apologising for it.

Can you handle it?

Think your work can survive this?

Drop a URL, screenshot, or file and Sally will give you the honest truth.

Issues (0)