LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s been a minute since a young male vocalist genuinely intrigued me. Not in a “oh that’s catchy” kind of way, but in a way that made me stop, rewind, and dig through the back catalog to figure out if the artist behind the song was a fluke or the real deal. That moment came courtesy of sombr—the 19-year-old singer-songwriter-producer whose music video for his viral track “back to friends” just dropped, and whose name I’ll now be keeping tabs on.
Yes, “back to friends” isn’t his most recent single—but it was my first exposure to his music. And if you ask me, this one’s the “statement track”.
From the moment I hit play, the song stood out. Gritty, vocally processed verses full of bruised vulnerability give way to a wide-open, reverb-soaked chorus that swells with emotional complexity. It’s pop, yes—but pop with teeth, texture, and intent. There’s a level of self-awareness in the songwriting that suggests a maturing pen: “How can you look at me and pretend, I’m someone you’ve never met?” It hits hard, and it hits honest.
Before discovering this song, I gave his earlier work a listen. There’s no denying the kid’s got a voice—but whether he’d found his “voice” (read: artistic soul) was another matter. “would’ve been you” felt like a Bon Iver cast-off; beautiful in parts, but familiar. “undressed” flirted with the emotional textures of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” modernized for today’s TikTok palette. “Savior” drifted in that ethereal space that Hozier carved out a decade ago. None of these tracks are bad—on the contrary, they’re quite listenable—but they felt like experiments in style more than declarations of identity.
Then there’s “Caroline”, which, per the press release, was his “breakout single”. Maybe it connected because it was stripped down—just sombr, an acoustic guitar, and a piano. No elaborate studio gloss, no overprocessed production. That song felt raw and real, a young man baring his soul and begging Caroline to see him just one more time. There was no hiding there, and for that reason, it arguably resonated as strongly as it did.
But “back to friends” is where it all clicks. The vocal production—gravelly and processed in the verses, then bouncing with reverb and clarity in the chorus—works as both emotional contrast and sonic elevation. It’s heartbreak rendered in high definition. Aided by a striking new visual co-starring model Charlotte D’Alessio, the track’s ascent to over 71 million global streams feels justified.
Maybe it’s the heartbreak. Maybe it’s the major-label polish catching up with his inner truth. Whatever it is, “back to friends” sounds like an artist stepping out from behind his influences and finally planting a flag of his own. If “back to friends” is any indication of where sombr is headed, consider this your heads-up: he’s not just another rising name in the algorithm. He’s got something real—and it finally sounds like he knows it, too.
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