ALBUM REVIEW: Humbird’s Astute, Bite-Sized ‘Astrovan: The Love Song Vignettes’

A famous bard once asked, “What is love?” and Humbird seeks to answer that on her quirky EP Astrovan: The Love Song Vignettes. Clocking in at just about 15 minutes, one would think these 10 songs might be a one-off exercise, but Humbird is too astute an observer for that. Rather, these songs present us with a multi-layered answer to that question: what is this emotion, exactly, that consumes most of us? 

Of course, part of it is the immediate need that our partners can fill: “Radiator” cheekily recounts how useful it is to have a bedwarmer on a frigid night, while “Astrovan,” is an invitation to take advantage of the storied vehicle’s capaciousness. Love also leads us to tenderness; and “Rosemary” is a charming scene about appreciating our partners’ more colorful habits.

But even these flippant moments lead to broader questions: “Loons” and “Letter to My Future Self” question the narrator’s commitment to their path. After all, no matter how much you’re enjoying yourself, that little nagging doubt creeps in. And, certainly, sometimes that path leads to an end of the trail: “Stranger” and “Forgiveness” explore these painful but necessary moments. 

Astrovan is not just a testament to Humbird’s writing – one imagines that after her strident Right On, a collection of love songs is a welcome reprieve. However, here we see Humbird playing with a number of sounds: the whistling gust of an organ (I think) on “Radiator,” the shimmery electronica of “Strings Attached” and the crunchy electric guitars of “Person” that call to mind ‘90s alt-folk rockers Tracy Bonham and Ani DiFranco. For a 15-minute collection of vignettes, Humbird has crafted them with serious intent. And, perhaps, love is simply all of these things at once: the serious, the silly, and the fulfillment of desire.

Humbird’s Astrovan: The Love Song Vignettes releases January 10.