Four of the year’s most beloved songs get pulled back to their bones. Holly Humberstone released ‘It’s A Real Cruel World’, a strikingly intimate EP that reimagines four standout tracks from her critically acclaimed second album ‘Cruel World’. The collection offers a fresh perspective on the originals, with new versions of “White Noise,” “Red Chevy,” “Cruel World” and “To Love Somebody.” Listen here.
The EP arrives during a landmark stretch for the British singer-songwriter. She’s delivered striking performances on “Later… with Jools Holland,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” plus an appearance on the season one finale of “SNL UK.” In April, she released ‘Cruel World’ via Interscope Records, a record that has amassed over 83 million streams to date.
The album captures the tension between pain and pleasure, where chaos and acceptance sit side by side. Humberstone built a dark fairytale world of her own making, where childhood relics, monsters and memory collide, and her lucid storytelling carries it all. The stripped-back EP lets that songwriting breathe in its quietest form.
She’s taking the live show back on the road for a run of North American dates, with support from Diva Smith and Leyla Ebrahimi. The Cruel World North American Tour kicks off in June, with festival stops at Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, Summerfest and All Things Go Toronto, plus headline shows at venues like Los Angeles’ The Fonda Theatre, Boston’s Paradise Rock Club, DC’s 9:30 Club, Chicago’s The Vic Theatre, Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater and San Francisco’s The Fillmore. After the headline run, she supports Gracie Abrams at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles this December.
It’s a gorgeous, vulnerable companion piece that proves these songs hold up under any light.