Holly Humberstone is stepping back into the spotlight — and into the surreal, shadowy world of her new era. The British singer-songwriter has confirmed a summer run of North American dates in support of her forthcoming sophomore album Cruel World, due April 10 via Interscope Records.
Dubbed the Cruel World North American Tour, the trek kicks off June 3 at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club before winding through major cities including Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club), Chicago (The Vic Theatre), Minneapolis (Varsity Theater), and San Francisco (The Fillmore). Along the way, Humberstone will also hit some of the continent’s biggest stages, with high-profile festival appearances scheduled at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, and All Things Go Toronto. Artist pre-sale begins February 10, with general tickets going on sale February 13.
The tour arrives as Humberstone prepares to release Cruel World, a record that leans into the tension between pain and pleasure, chaos and acceptance. Where her 2023 debut Paint My Bedroom Black was marked by turbulence and yearning, the new album finds the 26-year-old in a more grounded, reflective space — even as she constructs a gothic, fairytale-tinged universe populated by childhood relics, memory, and monsters.
Visually and thematically, Cruel World is deeply personal. Humberstone has described sifting through artifacts from the “Haunted House” she grew up in — from ballet shoes to Alice in Wonderland books — reframing the ghosts of her past into something playful and magical with the help of her sister Eleri and creative director Silken. Musically, the album was shaped through disciplined daily studio sessions with collaborator Rob Milton and explores love in its many forms: romantic, platonic, and feminine.
Recent singles like “Die Happy” and “To Love Somebody” hint at the album’s gothic romanticism, drawing inspiration from Dracula, the Brothers Grimm, and Victorian theatre while grappling with devotion, danger, and the destabilizing power of love. Humberstone recently brought “To Love Somebody” to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, further signaling the scale of this next chapter.
Since her breakthrough EP Falling Asleep at the Wheel, Humberstone has built a cinematic, emotionally unguarded body of work that has taken her from the haunted rooms of Grantham to Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Wembley Stadium — where she opened for Taylor Swift. With Cruel World and a sweeping North American tour on the horizon, she’s poised to make her most ambitious statement yet.
Public on-sale is available here on the aforementioned February 13 date. Pre-save Cruel World here.
HOLLY HUMBERSTONE LIVE
April 10 – Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
April 17 – Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
June 3 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
June 4 – Montreal, QC – Beanfield Theatre
June 6 – Toronto, ON – All Things Go Toronto
June 7 – Queens, NY – Governors Ball Music Festival
June 9 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of The Living Arts
June 10 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
June 12 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
June 13 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
June 15 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall
June 16 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
June 19 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
June 21 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
June 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex – The Grand
June 24 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
June 25 – Vancouver, BC – The Commodore Ballroom
June 26 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
June 28 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
