Sombr – ‘I Barely Know Her’ review: smirking sad boy pop

Aug 28, 2025 - 09:08

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sombr i barely know her review

As his stage name suggests, Sombr makes sad boy indie. He sings “There’s nothing worse than seeing your lover moving on while you still suffer” on breakout track ‘Undressed’ and sticks to that belief for the entirety of mopey debut album ‘I Barely Know Her’. He pines hopelessly after an ex on ‘I Wish I Could Quit You’ and regrets never making things official on ‘We Never Dated’.

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Despite all the heartbreak, Sombr’s debut album is gloriously exciting. The bedroom pop star quit school to pursue music after his stripped-back, lo-fi 2022 singles ‘Caroline’ and ‘Through It All’ went viral – yet ‘I Barely Know Her’ is a slick, ambitious collection of songs crafted for big venues and festival stages. Sombr (real name Shane Boose) wrote all ten tracks himself and co-produced the album alongside Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, MUNA’s Katie Gavin).

Alarm bells were ringing when the record was announced just two weeks ago, after smash hit singles ‘Undressed’ and ‘Back To Friends’ (the love child of Gotye’s ‘Somebody I Used To Know and Foster The People’s ‘Pumped Up Kicks’) became the soundtrack to sorrowful summer, racking up more than 1.1billion Spotify streams between them. But ‘I Barely Know Her’ isn’t a hastily thrown together album designed to get Sombr on the road ASAP.

Instead, the slick, considered collection sees the 20-year-old laying down foundations for the future. Opener ‘Crushing’ pulls from swaggering rock’n’roll and uses that snarling urgency to get even more vulnerable: “Sometimes, I feel like I could leave this place / But then I think about my mother’s face”. ‘Come Closer’ is a sunny slice of indie pop that sees Sombr comfortable with euphoric joy. Surprisingly, it’s a style that suits him.

The viral songs aren’t even the biggest moments of ‘I Barely Know Her’. Country-tinged stomper ‘Dime’ is a passionate, pleading anthem that’s big on self-awareness and the scuzzy disco rock of ‘12 To 12’ comes with undeniable funk. If it’s not one of the biggest songs of 2025, something’s gone wrong. Then there’s closer ‘Under The Mat’. Clocking in at just under five minutes, the storytelling track sees Sombr flex his ability to write personal lyrics that feel universal, while he plays with soaring stadium pop and glam rock.

‘I Barely Know Her’ is an album driven by heartache but that hasn’t stopped Sombr from creating a gloriously dynamic record that’s less about misery and more about catharsis. It’s sad boy indie with a smirk.