“Right On” is the breakthrough album by Minnesota singer-songwriter Humbird

DULUTH — From their birth to the day they were recorded on tape, the songs on Humbird’s new album Right on grew up on the streets.

Siri Undlin, the creative force behind Humbird, wrote the songs on tour, drawing inspiration from the people and places she saw out the window. When she brought the songs to her band, the rehearsals and learning took place in green rooms and at sound checks. And before the songs were recorded in Eau Claire with producer Shane Leonard, they grew and changed as the band played them to audiences across the country.

“It’s almost like the songs were living things telling us what they wanted and what they didn’t want,” Undlin told KAXE backstage before a May 30 show in Duluth.

The album begins with the title track, which at first glance seems like a sad love song, but turns out to be a personal reminder that you have to work for the things you love. According to the singer, it’s about not giving up, even when a relationship falls apart.

“Even if your heart is broken, that doesn’t mean you necessarily have to give up on something,” Undlin said.

She also acknowledges her own role in the events that inspired the song, and beautifully captures the line “I cast the dye, I stained my hands.” Beyond the clever wordplay, it was important to acknowledge that you have to clean up your own mess.

Right on is Humbird’s third album and a new direction for the singer. In addition to the introspective folk of 2019 Pharmacon and 2021 Still life are more pronounced electric guitars with driving electric bass and drums. In Undlin’s own words: “In this era of the band we definitely rock more and it’s a lot of fun.”

“Ghost on the Porch” showcases rock and fun, and is lyrically reminiscent of previous Humbird albums. It’s built around a jumping guitar line mirrored by the mandolin, and came to Undlin’s mind as she was playing around with a thumb pick. When she wrote the song, she was listening to a lot of West African bands like Tinariwen and Mdou Moctar, and it has a similar rolling and hypnotic feel.

The lyrics are a Humbird classic and describe a woman who is haunted by her reflection in a mirror and warned to leave her home. It is both a spooky folk tale and a rousing indie rocker and combines Right on to the group’s earlier albums.

The new sounds have resonated well with listeners and have opened up new opportunities for Undlin and her band. This spring they embarked on a national tour, playing a number of shows opening for rising indie rock star Indigo De Souza. Over the summer they opened for Americana artist Brent Cobb, and in between they have also headlined many of their own shows.

Despite the increased exposure and the increasing size of the venues they perform in, Undlin is honest about the challenges of touring as an up-and-coming independent artist. The band scours social media for places to stay in each city. Budgets are tight, even when each show goes well. And then there’s the most obvious challenge: They’re still five friends living very close to each other in a minivan for months at a time.

“I think everyone should (experience touring),” laughed Undlin. “Not everyone wants to, but everyone should babysit, everyone should work in the service sector and everyone should go on tour for a week just to get their bearings.”

There’s a certain irony in an album that was made entirely on tour, and therefore spent even more time on the road. For most people, living in a van with little to no alone time could lead to a nervous breakdown. For Undlin, it was a creative space that expanded her sound and resulted in one of KAXE’s favorite albums of the year.

Julia Bauer

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Contribution

Listen to the full conversation with Undlin above and check out this interview from 2023 where she gave an early preview of Right on.