Shane Micheal Boose, better known by his stage name Sombr, has taken America’s adolescent music market by storm, and stolen the hearts of every teenage girl on your block. After a whirlwind start to 2025, and the viral explosion of his song “back to friends,” New York City native Boose has finally released his debut album after over 4 years of dripfeeding singles.
I Barely Even Know Her is a fun, but expected expansion into what propelled Boose into his career: moody chord progressions, relatable heartbroken choruses, and TikTok friendly instrumentals.
The previously mentioned smash hit, “back to friends,” is a brilliant song, laced with desperation and the type of sincerity that can only be created by a gutted teenager. It captivated millions of people on Tiktok for a reason–it’s raw, emotional, and objectively catchy.
Boose’s ability to craft a very specific niche of alluring and dramatic indie pop allows him to have a signature sound, but also enables him to become a bit cliche at moments throughout the record. Album opener “crushing” shares a chord progression and intro almost identical to “back to friends,” which feels a little lazy.
The formula, while catchy, gets old, and even though the record is only 37 minutes long, by the time you hit tracks like “canal street” and “dime,” you start to get a bit bored. At his least interesting, Sombr follows the formula of other heartbroken sentimental male pop singer-songwriters before him, making him seem less like a brooding savant and more like a Shawn Mendes protege.
Where the album really shines though is in its most dramatic and euphoric moments, like on the epic winding album closer “under the mat.” Rousing slamming piano chords push the ballad forward, as howling guitar riffs backdrop Boose’s full bodied vocals, showing his full potential as both a songwriter and a vocalist.
These distressed blue jean Brooklyn vocals work on tracks like “under the mat,” but on tracks like “crushing,” the rocky vocal production feels more like a Julian Casablancas cosplay than an earnest reference to indie rock.
Boose has immeasurable potential though, and the album stands well on its own as a debut record. Four major singles came out of an album that didn’t even crack 40 minutes, showing Boose’s hitmaking capability at only 20 years old.
He’s currently touring through the US on the aptly named Late Nights & Young Romance Tour, and is coming to Allen on October 17th. Make sure to snag tickets now if you’re interested, as Boose is known for his crowd involved shows and “crash out” performances as Tiktok has deemed them.
All in all, Boose is shaping up to be the perfect Gen-Z pop star, and I Barely Even Know Her is a satisfactory first step towards complete pop domination.