Cat Burns’ storytelling lyricism is at the forefront of her latest album, ‘How To Be Human’, a tale of loss, heartbreak and love. Despite showing incredible prowess in deceit on BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors, her sophomore album is a truthful insight into recent moments of pain and healing since her ‘Early Twenties’.
In this vulnerable outpouring, Cat shared wanting to “document the trenches of processing your emotions” in this album. The opening track, ‘Come Home’, is introduced by a voicenote from her grandad; “thank you, Catrina, god bless you, love you lots”. Accompanied by melodic piano and strings, her grandad’s passing in 2024 serves as the topic of the ballads. One of the few tracks that balances her first-hand account with another voice, an imagined call “from God”. Setting the tone for the album, there is a pride in which Burns writes about his life; “To hold a family together / You braved the British weather / worked mornings, nights, wherever”. ‘Come Home’ introduces us to an artist who is simultaneously grieving, healing, and coming to peace.
‘Can Time Move Faster’ investigates the popular idiom of “time is a great healer”- an unglamourised reality check of post-breakup healing. The voice of Cat, “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this”, is answered in the later track ‘Today’, where we meet someone able to absorb the joy surrounding them; “I’m not the same / thank god I’ve changed”.
‘I Hope It’s Me’ is a duality between wanting the best for someone, “There’s a whole world for you to see”, and hoping they come back to you; “In the end / When you love again / I hope it’s me”. Burns’ balladic writing is at her very best; this song yearns for a lifetime’s love, even if paths change along the journey, a theme returned to in ‘I Love You, But’.
Ever relatable, ‘Small Talk’ navigates staying in contact with your ex-partner; “Why do we have to speak like strangers?”. Despite being one of the more sonically upbeat contributions to ‘How To Be Human’, Cat explores the gut-wrenching move from sharing everything with a person, to having nothing to speak about; “Why are you acting like you haven’t seen me naked / All of our history just forgotten”. Whilst ‘Can Time Move Faster’ opens with a tear-choked voicenote, ‘Small Talk’ closes with one; “It’s like grieving someone who’s still alive”.
A noticeable shift begins in ‘Sad Forever’, the drive of drum-beat kicks reminiscent of regaining direction and clarity post-breakup. Akin to a moment of realisation and hope for the protagonist of a musical theatre show, this track is a homage to the support and encouragement of her mum; “You don’t have to have it all together / feel it now / and trust it gets better”. This hope does not dwindle, but is amplified in her highly-adored single about her grandad, ‘All This Love’, amassing over three million streams on Spotify.
A carefully sculpted tracklist meets a turning point in track five, but by ‘Gemini’, the mood is lifted and the possibilities are endless. Flirtatious ‘GIRLS!’ follows, released back in January, a sapphic anthem that gives way to ‘There’s Just Something About Her’. Talking to girls becomes having a crush on one, by ‘Lavender’, previously heartbroken Cat Burns is firmly in love, skipping through lavender fields in the visualiser.
The final single to be released from the album, ‘Please Don’t Hate Me’, provides closure to the story told throughout ‘How To Be Human’. No longer lonely, Burns is joined by a choir of harmonious voices, as, instead of waiting for the ex in ‘I Hope It’s Me’, she is loving “somebody new”. ‘I Wish You Well’ has a beat impossible not to dance along with, a final gesture to previous lovers before giving way to the penultimate ballad from the album, ‘When I’m With You’. A giddy love song about a newfound, post-healing connection: “I think I’m worrying less / I’m getting close to my best”.
Moving away from romance and grief, the title and final track, ‘How To Be Human’, sheds light on Cat Burns’ experience with neurodivergence. Often speaking out about the impact of her autism and ADHD, most recently on national television, the track unpacks the reality of learning to mask and survive in a world tailored to neurotypical people, “Am I hiding it well / I wonder if they can tell / that I’m not like them”.
Sophomore album, ‘How To Be Human’ opens Cat Burns’ diary to her ever-growing audience, with a lightly acoustic sonic atmosphere which leaves no space to hide for her introspective lyricism. Cat offers listeners sixteen tracks of catharsis for anyone who has experienced loss, and proof that it really does get better.
Maisy Neale
Image: ‘How To Be Human' Official Album Cover