"Blonde, Bothered, and Cold-Blooded": Jess Humphries' New Single Speaks to a Universal Experience of Girlhood
- Hope Morgan
- May 6
- 2 min read
By: Hope Morgan
Australian singer/songwriter Jess Humphries new single “Bleach” is a self confessed “trauma dump,” an incredibly personal story, yet a universal experience for women everywhere.
At first listen it’s a catchy, well produced song. I was lucky enough to see it live pre-release, when the song had just been written, as a raw and acoustic performance. I’ve never had an unreleased song leave such an impression on me, and I waited very impatiently for the song's release.
Now, post-release, it’s amazing to see what Humphries and producer Josh King have done with the song. The final track still includes guitar but has been produced to a whole new level since I first heard the song performed acoustically. I honestly didn’t expect it to incorporate drums but it works so well and I think it really emphasises Humphries’ storytelling.
Humphries’ lyrics are a level of authenticity and rawness that is incredibly difficult to reach. She tells the story of watching her mum struggle with body image her whole life but yet being concerned for Humphries when she starts to show similar struggles.
She uses the metaphor of bleached hair to talk about something much more serious. While someone dying their hair is an extremely noticeable change, we often don’t see physical signs that someone is struggling with their body image.
“You’re asking questions cause I’ve dropped a few and dyed my hair blonde/If the shoe was on the other foot it wouldn’t have a leg to stand on”
The way Humphries tells the story makes me feel as if I am reading a book or a diary entry, and I can picture exactly what she is describing in my head when I listen.
Humphries speaks to the unspoken thoughts of women everywhere with the powerful line “A girl is skinny or a girl is nothing at all.”
You can tell how much Humphries loves her mum, and I think many girls can relate to the feeling of watching their own mother’s worry about their weight or appearance and wishing they could just “let their hair down.”
Even though “Bleach” has quickly become one of my top streamed songs of the month, it still has the same impact on me when I listen to it now than it did 3 months ago when I heard it live for the first time.
I cannot wait to see what more is to come from Humphries, even if her songs make me cry.
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