John is joined by Holly Humberstone and Rob Milton to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album Cruel World.Holly Humberstone is a singer-songwriter from Grantham, England. After early support from BBC Introducing, her debut EP ‘Falling Asleep at the Wheel’ gained widespread attention during the pandemic, earning a BRIT Rising Star win and two Ivor Novello nominations. Her debut album 'Paint My Bedroom Black’, arrived in 2023, and reached the UK top 5, while tours with Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo boosted her global profile. Her second album, Cruel World, was released in April 2026, working with long-time collaborator, producer Rob Milton.Sitting down at Baltic Studios, the trio discuss the record’s influences, from The 1975 to Fleetwood Mac. They break down ‘To Love Somebody’ from early voice notes to final master, explore harmony techniques on ‘Cruel World’, and Holly reflects on how industry pressures shaped ‘Beauty Pageant’, alongside sharing their essential plug-ins and gear.Tracks discussed: To Love Somebody, Cruel World, Beauty PageantLISTEN to Cruel World here - Cruel World by Holly Humberstone, Polydor RecordsTAPE ITThanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast.Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off.QUBE Find out more about Qube membership here.MAKE NOISE PRO AUDIOUse the code TAPENOTES10 for 10% off all Franklin Audio products at makenoiseproaudio.comMUSIVERSALSkip the waitlist and get your discount HERERecorded at Baltic - Studio 2LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES  linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel CollectiveGEAR MENTIONSRoland Juno-60 SynthesizerThe God Particle (Plugin) by CradleSoundtoys DecapitatorSequential Prophet 5 SynthesizerArturia DX-7Soundtoys PanManPocket PianoCritter & Guitari OrganelleSpliceAMS RMX16 ReverbRotor Solo Cello pluginKorg ARP 2600 MOUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgearHELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns.KEEP UP TO DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesPatreon: Tape NotesTo let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk