An achingly tender ballad with a fire burning deep inside, Humbird’s “Right On” is a softly stirring eruption of vulnerability and raw humanity: A gentle song about lost love and lessons learned, taken off the Midwestern singer/songwriter’s upcoming third album.
for fans of Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Carole King, Carly Simon, James Taylor
Stream: “Right On” – Humbird
I’m not singing in an empty room, and if you’re hearing this I hope you know, you’re right on too…
Listening to Humbird’s new single, I’m immediately transported back to New York City, circa 2012.
It’s a hot summer day, and I’m sitting in a sea of strangers at the Sidewalk Cafe, listening to an artist, whose name I’ve already forgotten (I had a shoddy memory back then, too) pouring her heart out to this densely-packed coffee- and music-loving crowd in the East Village. The equipment at the open mic night is simple: Two microphones – one for the voice, one for the acoustic guitar – and the moment the music starts, all chatter stops: A hush falls on the gathered audience as we strain to hear the gentle pluck of metal strings on wood; every little vibration felt like a seismic wave in that setting.
Humbird’s Siri Undlin brings that same intimacy to her performance, capturing a storied, bygone coffee shop’s up-close and personal ambience in a gentle song about lost love and lessons learned; about leading with your heart, even when your head disagrees. An achingly tender ballad with a fire burning deep inside, “Right On” is a softly stirring eruption of vulnerability and raw humanity. “We’re all suckers in the way that love makes us fools,” Humbird sings, drawing us deep into her world and sharing why, despite having loved and lost, she’d do it all over again if given the choice.
I’m not mad but I should be
Since true love proved unlucky
I cast the dye, I stained my hands
On wrongful judgments and half-baked plans
I was right on in loving you
And dead wrong in thinking we couldn’t lose
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Right On,” the title track off Humbird’s forthcoming third album, Right On (out April 12, 2024 via Nettwerk Music Group). Produced by Shane Leonard and featuring multi-instrumentalists (and longtime collaborators) Pat Keen (bass, synth, percussion) and Pete Quirsfeld (drums and percussion), Right On follows 2021’s sophomore album Still Life, and has been billed as Humbird’s most expansive offering to date.
The fourth song released from the record follows last year’s singles “Cornfields and Roadkill,” “Child of Violence,” and “Seven Veils,” all of which help to round out a smoldering soft rock sound defined by Midwestern grit and an understated grace.
Compared to these louder rock-leaning songs, the album’s opening track is a seductive folk serenade – one that places Humbird’s unflinching lyricism and evocative vocal performance at the front of the mix, supported by warm acoustic guitar patterns, sweetly warbling keys, and dusty drums.
It’s the kind of song whose silences feel as loud as its crescendos; a cathartic exhale aching with the weight of experience.
I’m not crying but I wish I could
Heart snapped off like plywood
How will I sand these scales from my skin?
I just want to be soft again
I was right on in loving you
And dead wrong in thinking we couldn’t lose
Right on in loving you
And dead wrong in thinking we couldn’t lose
What is it about the space between?
We fit so much inside and then find it empty
“‘Right On’ is one of those songs that seemed to just exist all of a sudden – I was lucky enough to catch it with a pen,” Humbird tells Atwood Magazine. “In recording the album as a whole, the band in the studio pretty quickly latched onto the phrase as an inside joke of sorts, one we used to encourage each other as we made the music.”
“Towards the end of the process, ‘right on’ had deepened into a mantra and guiding ethos – one that felt like it represented the spirit of what we were working to create. Right on for showing up, right on for giving it our best, right on even if it’s hard, right on for the way music inhabits space and time. Right on for learning as you go…”
What is it about the space between? We fit so much inside and then find it empty…
I’m not singing in an empty room
If you’re hearing this I hope you know – you’re right on too
You were wrong before, but that’s nothing new
We’re all suckers in the way that love makes us fools
So right on in loving
You might be dead wrong, at least you’re trying
Right on in loving
You might be dead wrong, at least you’re trying
You’re trying… You’re trying…
You’re trying
Shivers run down the spine as Humbird captures a piece of our shared human experience, channeling hard-earned truths – the result of both wins and losses – into a breathtaking, soul-stirring bit of balladry.
Warm and worn, “Right On” resolves to endure and persist – Humbird carries on with her head held high, despite life’s burdens trying to break her spirit and push her down. “So right on in loving,” she concludes in the song’s heartfelt and hopeful finale. “You might be dead wrong, at least you’re trying.” Breathe out your resignations, and breathe in that same staying power – that raw determination – that moves this steadfast songwriter; this ardent romantic; this passionate soul.
We may not be in the Sidewalk Cafe, or at The Bitter End, or even Rockwood Music Hall; the beauty of Humbird’s music is that, no matter where you are, it will always feel like she’s singing in a quiet room, playing new material just for us.
Stream “Right On” exclusively on Atwood Magazine. Humbird’s third album Right On is out April 12, 2024.
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Stream: “Right On” – Humbird
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© Juliet Farmer
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