While chilling backstage at Gov Ball in New York City, Holly Humberstone joined Rolling Stone for an episode of our Song Shuffle series. The singer-songwriter shuffled songs on her phone, not having any idea what might pop up. “This is authentic,” she told Rolling Stone‘s Leah Lu. “Every time I click ‘next song,’ I’m afraid of what’s going to come up.”
First up was the 2021 Flyte cut “Everyone’s a Winner.” “[They’re] a band from the UK I feel are the most underrated band of all time,” says Humberstone, who says the song is best heard during a “really introspective moment.”
“Change” by Big Thief appeared next. “I often think about who are the artists currently who are going to go on to be legends, who are like the Bob Dylan’s of our generation,” Humberstone says. “I feel like [Big Thief lead singer] Adrianne Lenker is one of those really, really rare artists. She’s a constant source of inspiration. I’m obsessed with her.”
Her playlist then jumped back about three decades to the title track from Tom Petty‘s 1994 solo album Wildflowers. “I used to listen to a lot of Tom Petty growing up and in my teenage year,” she says. “Right now I’m on tour and I haven’t been touring for two years while writing my latest project. Something about being on a bus with my best friends traveling around the states listening to Tom Petty, it’s kind of the perfect vibe. This song in particular I feel like is an underrated Tom Petty song. It’s this really gorgeous love song. Simplicity, for me, really wins. I love all the backing vocals and the layers of acoustic guitars. It feel really dreamy.”
The clock moved further back for Van Morrison‘s 1970 classic “Into The Mystic.” “I don’t know much about the guy himself, and I don’t know many other songs by Van Morrison,” says Humberstone. “But this one is one that I feel I somehow just know all the words. It feels like a coming of age movie. It’s a perfect song for any kind of road trip with your friends.”
Her song shuffle playlist wrapped up with “Working it Out” by Danish artist ML Buch from her 2023 album Suntub. “I love this song,” says Humberstone. “I love this album. I feel like it’s a recent new favorite to me. Putting this album on feels like being in a dream, really summer-y, gorgeous vibes. This song feels to me like a hug.”
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Humberstone has a busy tour schedule over the next few months supporting her new LP Cruel World, with shows all across North America and Europe. “I wrote a lot of my new album with a live context in mind because I love my band, and getting to play with them onstage at a festival is just the best feeling that I’ve ever come across,” she says. “I wrote this whole album so that I’d get to keep touring and doing shows with my band, and connecting with people…I think music is about connection and being human. It’s maybe the one thing that does really connect us all, and puts us all on a level playing field.”
Watch the full video at the top of the post.
