Uh Huh Her is PJ Harvey’s fourth album, and it is built on a simple idea: she plays all the instruments herself, recorded in her home studio. That constraint is the whole point. There is no band, no producer, no outside arrangement. Just Harvey’s voice, her guitar, and the room around her.
The record is a set of songs about power, control, and the small humiliations of everyday life. It is not a quiet record, though it is often quiet within itself. The songs move fast, they stop suddenly, and they repeat lines until they become commands.
Opening With Mr. Badmouth
The album starts with “The Life & Death of Mr. Badmouth,” a four-minute character study that sets the tone for everything that follows. It is the longest track here and the most theatrical, with Harvey singing about a man who cannot stop talking.
“Shame” follows at just over two minutes, a tight song about guilt and self-control. “Who the Fuck?” is shorter still, a question asked without an answer, and it works because it does not explain itself.
“Pocket Knife” slows things down slightly, a three-and-a-half minute track about violence and fear. “The Letter” is a letter home, a short pause in the middle of the record. “The Slow Drug” is the album’s slowest moment, a ballad about addiction that never quite reaches its peak.
“No Child of Mine” is the shortest track here, a quick burst of anger. “Cat on the Wall” picks the pace back up, a song about observation and distance. “You Come Through” is a plea for help, delivered directly.
“It’s You” is the album’s centerpiece, a four-minute track that builds from a whisper to a shout. “The End” closes the main body of the record with a brief, sharp ending.
“The Desperate Kingdom of Love” is a love song, but it is desperate in its title and urgent in its delivery. “[Seagulls]” is a short instrumental break, a sound sketch rather than a song. The record ends with “The Darker Days of Me & Him,” a four-and-a-half minute closer that ties the whole thing together.
Ranking the Tracks
Here is how the album holds up:
- “The Life & Death of Mr. Badmouth”
- “It’s You”
- “You Come Through”
- “Pocket Knife”
- “The Slow Drug”
- “Cat on the Wall”
- “Shame”
- “The Letter”
- “No Child of Mine”
- “The End”
- “The Desperate Kingdom of Love”
- “[Seagulls]”
- “The Darker Days of Me & Him”
The weakest tracks are the ones that feel unfinished, the ones that stop before they reach their full shape. “No Child of Mine” and “The End” are both too brief to fully land, and “[Seagulls]” feels like a leftover rather than a statement.
What This Paper Thinks
Uh Huh Her is a strong record, but it is not a great one. The ambition is clear — Harvey wanted to make something entirely her own, without compromise — and she mostly succeeds. The best moments here — “The Life & Death of Mr. Badmouth,” “It’s You,” “You Come Through” — are among the strongest songs of her career.
But the album drags in its middle stretch, where a few short tracks feel like sketches rather than finished songs. The record’s greatest weakness is also its greatest strength: the homemade intimacy that makes it feel personal is also what keeps it small.
This is a record of highs and lows, and the lows are lower than the highs are high. It is a good album, and it deserves to be heard on its own terms. It just does not quite reach the heights of Harvey’s best work.
- The Life & Death of Mr. Badmouth4:54
- Shame2:33
- Who the Fuck?2:09
- Pocket Knife3:44
- The Letter3:23
- The Slow Drug3:25
- No Child of Mine1:08
- Cat on the Wall3:04
- You Come Through2:48
- It’s You4:14
- The End1:23
- The Desperate Kingdom of Love2:44
- [seagulls]1:11
- The Darker Days of Me & Him4:34
