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ALBUM REVIEW: Sombr "I Barely Know Her"
- Rebecca McDevitt
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Article by Rebecca McDevitt
Sombr’s Big Glow Up
If you have been watching Sombr over the last few years you know this moment was coming. The kid who first popped off with “Carolina” in 2022 has officially leveled up. He went from making hazy bedroom tracks to dropping out of high school, chasing the dream, and somehow turning heartbreak into his biggest statement yet. With his debut album I Barely Know Her Sombr finally steps out of the DIY shadows and into the spotlight.
A Breakup Record You Can Dance Cry To
This is very much a breakup album but do not expect soft whispers and acoustic tears. Sombr is loud about it. On “Undressed” he is literally stuck on the train tracks watching his ex move on. “Canal Street” has him chain smoking like every cigarette could bring her back. Even the big energy moments like the disco pop shimmer of “12 to 12” or the heavy thump of “Under the Mat” still carry heartbreak in the background.
Then there is “I Wish I Knew How to Quit You.” He drops the kind of gut punch lyric that fans will have tattooed before tour season. “You are in my DNA, you are the echo in my veins.” It is dramatic and over the top in the best way. That is exactly what makes it hit.
Nostalgia but Make It Pop
Sombr’s influences are easy to spot. You can hear the Beach Boys harmonies floating through the record. The choruses feel like tidal waves padded with “oohs” that make every hook swell bigger than it should be. Think Panda Bear but polished and stadium ready instead of fuzzy and abstract.
Part of that comes from Tony Berg who has worked with Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzy McAlpine. He helps expand Sombr’s sketches and give them more space. But it is still Sombr at the core. He wrote everything, played nearly everything and shaped this record into something that sounds massive without losing its edge.
Why This Feels Like The Moment
I Barely Know Her is not just a debut. It is the glow up fans have been waiting for. Sombr sounds ready to take what he built online and carry it into rooms far bigger than bedrooms. Even while he is stuck in heartbreak the record plays like an arrival. It is messy, emotional and completely confident.
If you have been rooting for him since “Carolina” this feels like the reward. If you are just tuning in, welcome to the Sombr universe. It is only getting bigger from here.
Check out Sombr on tour this fall.
