Review: Sombr - 'I Barely Know Her' Album

A recent TikTok sensation, Sombr, or Shane Boose, released his debut album, ‘I Barely Know Her’, on 22 August, through the record label Warner Records.

Previously releasing the singles ‘back to friends’, ‘undressed’, ‘we never dated’, and ‘12 to 12’, all of which have gained respectable popularity across social media, it appears Sombr has already established himself with a steady following this early on in his musical career. All of ‘I Barely Know Her’ was written entirely by Sombr, proving him to be an artist to look out for in the upcoming years.

Out of the four singles, ’12 to 12’ is my favourite, with a catchy chorus and detailed bass in the background, as well as a feature from singer Addison Rae in the music video. I still often find myself singing the line “In a room full of people / I look for you” – it’s catchy and in my eyes, it’s the perfect pop song. The choruses of the other singles are well-known to almost any social media user, gaining Sombr stability and popularity as anticipation grew for his debut album.

The opening track, ‘crushing’, is a sentimental yet layered pop song with indie features in the background. I personally think the chorus and the toned down closing lines of “I miss the days where we were crushing on each other / Now you’re just crushing my soul, my lover / I miss the days when you could never love another / Now you’re just someone that I’ll never recover” are the standout of this track, though I’m also a big fan of the production here, with the clear alternative influences present, and I hope to see more of this from Sombr in his upcoming work.

‘i wish i knew how to quit you’ opens with toned down, echoed vocals and background guitars, but quickly builds up while maintaining the yearning, almost melancholic sound. I think the repetition of the title line in the chorus works well here, and it is catchy more than repetitive.

Similarly, ‘canal street’ is an acoustic track discussing Sombr’s ability to move on from a relationship, seeking distractions from it but not succeeding at doing so – “As I walk down Canal Street, I see the girls with low-rise jeans / But they do nothing to me”. This slower, heartfelt ballad showcases Sombr’s vocals well, as he describes

searching for his past lover in new people in order to move on – but nothing seems to match the feeling the two once shared.

The potential love song ‘dime’ then picks up from the previous, more emotional track, seeking communication with another person through the repetition of the pre-chorus line “Can I get through to you?”. It appears throughout this record that Sombr’s music frequently takes one line and focuses on it within a given part of the song – and it is executed well both in ‘dime’ and ‘i wish i knew how to quit you’, without sounding over-the-top or overdone.

‘come closer’ is a favourite of mine from the album, particularly because the indie influences are heavy and easily noticeable here, especially on the guitars. It reminds me of something from ‘Tales from the Backseat’ by The Academic, or ‘100’ by The Hunna, in the best ways. I found myself coming back to this track the most, for it is both memorable and fun in lyricism and musical execution.

The closing track, ‘under the mat’, includes fast-paced vocals in the verses of the song, and a slower yet equally passionate chorus, and the drums in the background of this song stand out particularly well to me from the first listen. The bridge here is one of my favourites on the record, and the piano progression towards the end of the bridge is very well-paired with the rest of the track.

As someone who wasn’t previously an active Sombr listener, I think this album is a good debut that showcases the upcoming artist’s true sound as he finds himself in the music industry. Seeing Sombr’s rise to fame from TikTok to releasing a full-length album forms a huge inspiration to any upcoming artist. The highlights of this album, to me, are definitely the experimental indie-inspired tracks, and I look forward to seeing where Sombr takes his career in the upcoming months to years!

Click to stream ‘I Barely Know Her’ on Spotify and Apple Music!

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Written by Magda Kanecka for Ceol Magazine

Check out more by Magda here!

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