Holly Humberstone's "Sleep Tight" Is All About Moving Past The Friend Zone

Holly Humberstone is making a name for herself. On Friday, April 29, the 22-year-old musician dropped her latest single, “Sleep Tight,” which is all about wanting to take a friendship to the next level. “I almost killed our friendship, and I sure hope it's worth it,” Humberstone sings on the track.

“Sleep Tight” was co-written with the 1975’s Matty Healy and Humberstone’s longtime collaborator, Rob Milton. She and Healy previously collaborated on “Please Don’t Leave Just Yet” from her second EP, The Walls Are Way Too Thin. The project, which dropped in November 2021, features Humberstone’s other hit singles like “Scarlett,” “Haunted House,” and “Friendly Fire.”

Humberstone performed several of her songs off the EP while touring with Girl In Red on the North American leg of her Make It Go Quiet tour, which began on March 8 and ended on April 12. Her setlist also included “Sleep Tight.” Humberstone also performed the song at Coachella on April 16 and 23 before officially releasing it on April 29.

The British singer explained the meaning behind the track in a recent press release. She said “Sleep Tight” was inspired by that moment when you realize you’ve started developing feelings for a friend. “When [those feelings] float to the surface, you have to weigh up the risks of getting hurt and potentially losing them in your life,” Humberstone said in the statement.

“I wrote ‘Sleep Tight’ about the uncertainty of friendships evolving into something more,” she said. “The first summer out of lockdown was pretty crazy for my friends and I because we finally had our freedom back and acted like we had nothing to lose. This song takes me back to that time of what felt like no consequences and impending heartbreak.”

To go along with her new single, Humberstone dropped a music video for “Sleep Tight” in which she’s chillin’ in the back of a messy car as she makes her way throughout a suburban neighborhood. The setting could be a reference to her song’s chorus, which goes, “In the back of your car, we're gonna take it too far/ God knows I've missed this.” At the end, the car floats into the clouds, making for a picture-perfect spring and summertime fantasy.

If you can’t get enough of Humberstone, catch her on Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour tour.