Despite a hidden early career, 20-year-old New York native Shane Michael Boose, known professionally as Sombr (stylized as sombr, all lowercase), achieved social media stardom in less than a year … without a debut album.
Having achieved three Billboard Hot 100 singles in just half of 2025, sombr’s rapidly-increasing following waited in anticipation for his first album.
The fans got what they wanted with the release of album “I Barely Know Her” on Aug. 22, to widespread critical acclaim. Produced alongside the renowned Tony Berg (Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, Boygenius, Lizzy McAlpine), his debut has helped sombr rack up a remarkable 56,740,879 monthly listeners on streaming service Spotify and opened the door to a performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards.
In addition to his performance, sombr won the Moon Person award for Best Alternative Video for viral single “back to friends.” He was also nominated for Best New Artist.
‘I Barely Know Her’ album cover. (Spotify.com) Sombr’s debut album “I Barely Know Her” is a clear indicator as to both his presentation of the award and why he was chosen to perform for nearly 5.5 million viewers; the alternative-pop icon addresses strained relationships and self-realization in a musically upbeat but, pun-intended, lyrically somber 38 minute album.
Although short in length, sombr blends sounds reminiscent of pop artists and groups such as The Weeknd and Tame Impala to drive a narrative of breakups and the seeming impossibility of moving on.
Where sombr does fall into monotony with similar-sounding songs, usually with slower bridges, and repetitive themes, this album demonstrates sombr’s youthful musicality with gritty lyrics (including some in French) and a disconnected, yet intimate songwriting style.
I Barely Know Her
crushing
Sombr's first track "crushing" dives into the album's recurring themes of longing, specifically based around nostalgia.
From a musical standpoint, "crushing" is a shocker for an initial track. The vocals, up until the chorus, are distorted and scream-like. However, listeners are introduced to sombr's unique style of punchy bass and piano, encapsulated by simple yet strong drum backing.
"Crushing" utilizes a scenario-driven, almost butterfly effect progression to unpack the emotions surrounding the loss of a potential future with a partner.
Sombr writes, "I miss the days when you could never love another / Now you're just someone that I'll never recover," retrospectively addressing the love interest this album revolves around.
He explicitly describes that feeling through usage of the title: crushing. "I miss the days when we were crushing on each other / Now you're just crushing my soul, my lover."
12 to 12
Released in single form before the album, "12 to 12" garnered a cult following through social media trends before it's addition to sombr's debut.
"12 to 12" boasts a stark change in tempo from its previous track, "crushing." Reminiscent of dance-hall anthems with the additions of a synth and marimba, "12 to 12" contrasts high energy with questions of sombr's capabilities of loving.
Sombr stacks ethereal voices to directly ask his lover if it truly is over. "In a room full of people I look for you / Would you avoid me or would you look for me too? / Tell me is our story through?"
This upbeat piece also contains lyrics in French, "I said, can I sit with you, comment ça se fait."
"12 to 12" is, as most of his songs are, simple. However, it works incredibly well; the chorus is an earworm.
i wish i knew how to quit you
"I wish i knew how to quit you" is a welcome reprieve to two striking initial songs, pulling the tempo back to a relaxed pace as sombr discusses feelings of addiction, and self-medication, in a relationship.
Sombr's identity as an alternative-pop musician shines in this track. The vocals in "i wish i knew how to quit you" are not unlike 2010s alt-pop icons (e.g. Twenty One Pilots ), yet still gritty despite the smoother instrumental.
Sombr's birthplace of New York City lives in this song: "...my tiny place in Brooklyn, and we kissed like there was nothing to lose."
He furthers the idea of home, or the lack thereof, with one of the album's more striking lyrics. "I live inside a house, without you, it's not home."
back to friends
As the song that put sombr on the map, "back to friends" did not come to play around.
The strongest track in sombr's discography, "back to friends" has accumulated over 888 million streams on Spotify.
Backed by a dark piano clashing with monotone guitar droning, "back to friends" showcases the tension involved in the common trope of continuing a friendship after a relationship's failure. "How can we go back to being friends ... How can you look at me and pretend / I'm someone you never met?"
The echoey and breathy vocals of his backing band both bolsters the intimacy of the song while also displaying the power of sombr's songwriting style, involving multiple voices to paint pictures of love lost.
canal street
As perhaps the slowest and calmest song on the album, "canal street" introduces the listener to an acoustic guitar and arguably has some of the finest storytelling of the album.
While sombr does fall into the trap of repetitive-sounding songs, this piece is a well-timed change of pace. "Canal street" appears as a simple song without too much intensity, however, that could not be further from the truth. Sombr revolves the song around the personal disconnection from society and dating after a breakup.
"And I try to go on dates / but none of them are you ... And I look for girls with your traits / but none of them are you."
Due to its stark musical differences from the other tracks (e.g. straying away from the punchier bass lines in favor for a graceful progression, that crescendoes into a clash of sound), "canal street" highlights a different side of sombr's alt-pop songwriting.
Similar to the breathy and electronic influences of Radiohead , this song exhibits the unseen and underrepresented diversity of sombr's songwriting capabilities.
dime
Sombr returns to his M.O. of upbeat and higher-tempo music with "dime," a song akin to early 2010s hits such as Everybody Talks and We Are Young .
"Dime" toys with the cliché of a rating system for partners, usually on the scale of 1-10. Sombr writes, "I wanna love you 'til the end of my life / 'Cause you're a ten / And I'm a man that needs a dime."
While "dime" does have a catchy beat and hook, at track no. 6 of the album the fatigue of repetition can distinctly withdraw from enjoyment of the song. However, this song does unveil a new emotion shown from sombr in this supposed breakup album, in a realization and slight acceptance.
"Is it a crime to care so much for another / And left with nothin' for yourself?"
undressed
In the same token as "back to friends," "undressed" rose to fame before the release of the album, primarily through social media; now, "undressed" sits at no. 2 on sombr's discography, with 524 million streams on Spotify.
"Undressed" is a killer song on this album. Sombr grapples with relinquishing the desire to hold on to a faltering relationship.
From a musical standpoint, this song is fresh. It does not fall into the repetitive trap of "dime," instead, it introduces a plucky lead guitar line and a bass that almost walks like jazz ballads.
come closer
"Come closer" is like if Tame Impala and Foster the People had a baby, and it will get you dancing.
As the most electronic song of the bunch, "come closer" has the same energy as "canal street," just on the opposite end of the spectrum. If "canal street" was a slow dance, "come closer" is a flashing LED light in a night club.
Sombr returns to his distorted, fuzzy vocals as he describes polarization within a relationship, and delves deeper into his hometown and specifically the Lower East Side.
"We're in a dimly lit restaurant on the Lower East Side, and you look gorgeous / Yeah I adore you."
Sombr continues the progression of maturity and in essence learning how to love with self-realization. "Loving you isn't hard / it's letting go that leaves a scar."
we never dated
It's all about that bass in "we never dated," plunging the listener into a dark, pointed attack at his ex – or, in this context, a situationship.
Within the song, layered vocals contrast with sombr's scathing comments about the former lover, creating a unique dualistic approach towards recovering from a relationship.
Sombr contrasts the desire to get revenge ("You are a pretty one / Nice to romanticize / But you don't make yourself easy to like.") with contemplative reasoning ("How come we never even dated / But I still find myself thinking of you daily?").
This dual approach to the song makes it a unique listen, combining the best of sombr's worlds.
under the mat
The final track on this album, "under the mat," is undoubtedly the fireworks show.
Sombr completely throws a spin on the entire premise of the album and his musical style. "Under the mat" is a way of acceptance (A contrasting image: sweeping it under the mat versus sombr's lyrics, "She locked the door but she left the key under the mat."), discussing the entire journey with this partner.
It starts softer, then escalates. Nearly every instrument in sombr's arsenal is utilized, and the song concludes in a coalescence of music.
The finalization of this album is uncertain. The listener doesn't know if sombr will step away from this relationship or reach under the doormat and grab the key.
Ending in a distant remark as the mics turn off, sombr concludes his debut album:
"That's the album man."
