Album Review: Sombr - I Barely Know Her

Amidst that lingering title, there underlies the melodramatics that Sombr fumes out in the open. ‘I Barely Know Her’ is lean and explosive in airing out Sombr’s emotions, full of impressive melodies, performances, and production to form a great record.

The one-striped post-break-up melodrama is a characteristic that Sombr surprisingly delivers well. Doubling back on delusional deflection when it comes to moving on from that ex, but as much as he tries to swerve out of this pining, he fails to do so. Any attempts to wade past pained clouds of memory and date newer women to find a semblance of escape still show that he can’t easily let go, still looking for the same magnetism that he once had with his ex. He can continue to deny and put up so many walls around him, but even the strongest fortresses are destroyed by that one tender love. Painting a rather evocative picture of young adult relationships that sure can get awkward - especially when exes go back to being friends again - but also quite moving despite it all.

Blend all that with Sombr’s expressive vocals, sharp melodies, and production that can slickly slide into 2010s pop rock with hints of 80s textures, and what you get are cuts that just go off in their emotions. ‘12 to 12’ is infectiously sticky with those dance grooves and saturated guitar licks; ‘i wish i knew how to quit you’ dynamically bursts through with fuzzy textures and bombastic hook; ‘back to friends’ may as well be a blatant The 1975 cut, where that awkward position of going back into friendship is underscored by stable yet puffed up production and melodies; the balladry of ‘canal street’ being absolutely phenomenal from those layers of strings, keys, and shuffling drums leading up to one undeniably memorable hook; the swaggering guitar melody that is fogged up with overdubs and strings on ‘we never dated’; and the driving melodic swells of guitars, drums, and keys that make ‘under the mat’ cast a firework to end the record proper.

‘I Barely Know Her’ is a representation of a solid idea being done surprisingly well, a story of trying to move on but can’t exactly help but pine for the past that’s reflected with Sombr’s ability as a fully formed musician, constructing punchy tunes after another. It might stick too long within that one idea, but Sombr has enough interesting affinity and flair that he has the potential to get out of his comfort zone and take risks in the future. With all that being said, there’s enough spark to get us to know more about Sombr.

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Favorite Tracks: ‘12 to 12’, ‘i wish i knew how to quit you’, ‘back to friends’, ‘canal street’, ‘we never dated’, ‘under the mat’

Least Favorite Track: ‘undressed’