Your Next Big Indie-Pop Girl: Holly Humberstone

RIYL: Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo, Clairo

This is going to be Holly Humberstone's year. Between her insane Coachella performance and her newest album being full of no-skip bangers, she is going to be the next biggest thing in the industry. I haven't felt this strongly about an artist's release since Chappell's album release in 2023.

Her second album, Cruel World, released April 10, 2026 and immediately received praises from pop critics and pop fans alike (us included!). You can find her featured on our Friday Frequency playlist, as well as Spotify's New Music Friday playlist and more.

Cruel World is a women-focused, embarrassingly realistic walkthrough of the harrowing experiences a girl can face in her coming of age. I think every teenaged and young-adult woman is going to reach for this album to find comfort and community in their experiences. Humberstone's voice is the loudest and strongest we've seen it, a message for all women tuning out any opposing noise in their lives or online. Humberstone, who has admitted that she's chronically online herself and feels every hit from the negativity received online, poured her experiences and feelings into the closing track on the album, "Beauty Pageant". The song beautifully touches on the feelings associated with growing up in the strict expectations of the modern world, an incredibly powerful closing to the album overall. This album holds a special place in my heart already and will be the perfect addition to any woman's playlists. Check out Holly's album below or anywhere you listen to music and follow along with Holly on her socials or site.