Numb

Who it's for

Portishead's debut single lives inside a hazy, detached mood that mirrors emotional numbness.

Feelings it meets

• Depression
• Masking
• Loneliness

What it is

"Numb" is a song by Portishead, released on 13 June 1994 on Go! Discs as the first single from their debut album Dummy, about two months before the album came out. The band wrote and produced it, and Beth Gibbons sings it. Critics described it as eerie, slow-burning and cinematic, with a melancholy vocal.

Where to find it

All major streaming services.

Before you start

Age: All ages

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Joy and Sorrow”