Sombr combs through young love, loss in debut album ‘I Barely Know Her’
Sombr is currently the 35th-most listened to artist on Spotify, with over 1 billion streams on the platform from his top two songs alone. His debut album, “I Barely Know Her,” portrays what it means to be young and broken in love, our columnist says. Sarah Yudichak | Contributing Illustrator
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Look up the word “unserious” with Sombr’s name on TikTok.
If you do, you’ll find dozens of videos of him interacting with fans, asking for tips after his shows or making faces while taking photos with them.
While this carefree attitude helped propel his meteoric rise to stardom, Sombr’s songs are anything but unserious in his debut album, “I Barely Know Her.”
At just 20 years old, the artist’s album (and music as a whole) portrays what it means to be young and broken in love, evoking more developed vulnerability and emotion than the typical heartbreak album.
Sombr dropped four singles before the album’s release, contributing to his sudden popularity boost and massive following. He’s currently the 35th-most listened to artist in the world on Spotify with over 55 million monthly listeners, more than mainstream artists like Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo and Tyler, the Creator.
Sombr made “I Barely Know Her” because he was “feeling something” and “needed an escape,” not to make hits, he told Billboard. Still, there are plenty of hits across the album’s 10-track, 37-minute runtime as it flips between rock ‘n’ roll and pop, blending the two genres.
The intro track, “crushing,” kicks off the album with a rock ‘n’ roll beat behind lyrics of heartbreak. The bridge is what lifts the song to the level of his previous hits, with lyrics like, “I miss the days when 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.”
The second track, “12 to 12,” is one of the four stand-alone singles with distinct disco influences. Sombr sings about the pain of unrequited love and spending all his energy chasing someone who’ll never feel the same.
“Was it always in your plan to leave eventually? / Because to me, there’s no one else that could make sense to me,” he sings.
“i wish i knew how to quit you” follows with Sombr’s painful explanation of what it means to stay in a relationship while knowing it’s toxic. With emotional lyrics about struggling to end things for good, the chorus can easily get stuck in a listener’s head.
“back to friends” is the artist’s most popular song on Spotify by far, where Sombr sings about redrawing boundaries after a breakup. The recognizable chorus of “How can we go back to being friends / When we just shared a bed? / How can you look at me and pretend I’m someone you’ve never met?” details how Sombr struggles to accept that the relationship will never be the same.
Sombr follows with “canal street,” one of the slower songs on the album, which details the emotional baggage of his previous relationships. “dime” continues this yearning theme with a more up-tempo key. The artist sings about his insecurities in previous relationships while worrying that he was too forgettable for his ex.
“undressed,” which has over 400 million streams on Spotify, follows the 20-year-old as he misses the familiarity of his past relationships. Not wanting to lose everything he already built, he sings, “There’s nothin’ worse than seein’ your lover / Moving on while you still suffer.”
“come closer,” returns to the rock n’ roll feel of the first track, with a vulnerable Sombr willing to throw away everything for his new relationship. “Loving you isn’t hard / It’s letting go that leaves a scar,” he sings while wanting more from his new partner.
On “we never dated,” a confused and heartbroken Sombr navigates losing someone he was never with, not understanding why the pain from losing them is so deep. The lyrics in the track are the most unfiltered and raw on the entire album, evoking even more emotion.
“How come we never even dated / But I still find myself thinking of you daily? / Why do you always leave me aching / When you were never mine for the taking?” he sings.
The album’s final track, “under the mat,” relies on vivid lyrics that describe a relationship so passionate it was unsustainable. The title and lyrics suggest it’s a love he could easily try to rekindle, but it would be too painful to manage if he did.
While some critics argue that the lyrics in “I Barely Know Her” could’ve been stronger, they don’t fall flat while listening. If anything, the easy-to-remember choruses and one-liners enhance the listening experience.
“I Barely Know Her” shows there’s nothing “unserious” about Sombr’s sudden rise to fame as one of the world’s top artists. The final product is a debut album that solidifies that status.
