SOMBR RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM ‘I BARELY KNOW HER’
Sombr’s debut album, I Barely Know Her, is a catchy indie pop album that highlights emotional vulnerability through yearning lyrics paired with dreamy instrumentals. Sombr’s catchy use of upbeat rhythm matched with emotional lyrics invites listeners into the intoxicating feelings of romantic angst.
I think what is interesting about I Barely Know Her is that the title tells us exactly what to expect. This is an album about someone who is obsessed with another person (or persons), and each song explores the ways in which a “he” knows a “her.” The album’s thesis? He barely knows her. So, with that in mind, let's take a closer look.
The opening song, “crushing”, sets the tone for the entire album and hooks listeners in immediately with a strong drum beat and harmonising vocals. Sombr uses a mix of muffled and clean vocals to separate verses and the chorus. I found this a unique way to create a sense of depth. The song is about what he wants: “I wanna keep the door from closing . . . I wanna be there,” what he thinks she wants: “you wanna shove me in the corner,” and what they actually are: “and now we’re living alternate lives.”
In the next song, “12 to 12,” Sombr explores the complicated feelings of yearning. “In a room full of people I look for you // would you avoid me or would you look for me too?” he questions. Is it possible to know someone you yearn for? In this case, he yearns for the past, what no longer is and has accepted that the yearning is all he has left: “I know you wanna see me in hell, my love, I’m dealing with the cards I’ve dealt.” It’s a really catchy song, and lyrics aside, it’s the kind of song I could keep on repeat purely for the rhythm.
In “i wish i knew how to quit you” the album slows down, giving us a small break from the quick beats in the first two songs. This is the first true heartbreak song on the album, from the softer beat and lyrics like, “You were never mine, but I was always yours.” He describes the ache of letting go, of knowing that although he loves her, she isn’t his.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bryce Glenn, courtesy of Warner Records
Fans of the friends-to-lovers trope, this next song is for you. In “back to friends” Sombr explores the thrilling anxiety of taking that next step: “How can we go back to being friends when we just shared a bed?” The song has a unique sound with a hypnotizing piano buildup and reverb vocals that add to that electric feeling of the unknown. For the first time in the album, he isn’t looking back, but forward, unsure of how he sees her, even though they have taken a new step in their relationship.
With “canal street,” Sombr slows the album down with another heartbreak song. The lyrics are very raw and feel as though Sombr wrote them not just speculatively, but from a true past experience. Lyrically, he wonders what she is doing, now that they are no longer together. He looks for her in other people. There's a part toward the end of the song where the guitar seems to go off track, but then the lyrics also follow off track as well, and in that rogue moment, he pleads, “Was I what you wanted, even for a little while?” The moment is a dynamic one that adds to the intensity of the emotion that I think Sombr was trying (and succeeded) in evoking.
“Dime” explores emotional unbalance: “For you, I’m nothing but a feeling . . . I wanna love you ‘til the end of my life.” He feels as though she doesn’t care about the relationship as much as he does, but it isn’t until the end of the song that he reveals the twist: they are just friends. And while she is already gone, on her way to Europe, he is left to lament on the what-ifs.
The next song, “undressed”, has a catchy rhythm. It’s the kind of song you listen to while driving around on a sunny day with the windows down. How does he know her in this one? “I’m lookin’ at you, and you’re lookin’ at me, but the glimmer in your eyes is sayin’ you wanna leave.” He continues with these feelings of anxiety about being loved and then left.
In “come closer” and “we never dated”, both explore the idea of being close but not close enough. He would like to be committed to her, but in both songs, he feels that she is unattainable, no matter how much he tries to be closer to her. Both songs continue to use the unique vocal reverb that has tied together the stylistic sound of the entire album.
“under the mat” is the final song on the album and has an effective use of background harmony that adds an ethereal aura to the song. Thematically, it explores the feelings of actually becoming physically and emotionally close to someone and then losing them. The final line of the album? “That’s the album, man.” As if to also say, “That’s life, man.”
Each song in I Barely Know Her explores the complicated feelings of infatuation in some way, of how a “he” yearns for a “her.” So does he know her? Barely. He knows what he feels without her. The songs explore the dynamic feelings of euphoria and anxiety of not understanding why some relationships don’t work. It is, for sure, a fascinating look into the mind of a youthful soul.
I Barely Know Her is proof that Sombr is vocally talented. Though lyrically, he does have room for improvement. Considering his age and target audience, however, his success makes perfect sense. As a newly GRAMMY nominatedartist, his rising allure is clear, and with I Barely Know Her as a strong debut album, it’s undeniable that Sombr is in for a bright future.