Sombr

A sensitive troubadour for the age of social media, Sombr places equal emphasis on sound and soul-baring lyrics. "Caroline," the viral hit that helped the singer/songwriter escalate from indie status to a major label while he was still in his teens, relies on cinematic vistas and rolling harmonies as much as his dramatic vocals. By the time he released the EP In Another Life in 2013, Sombr was collaborating with Tony Berg -- a producer known for his work with Phoebe Bridgers and Michael Penn -- and opening up his music in ways he continued to explore on the 2024 single "In Your Arms" and his 2025 Top 40 hit "Undressed."

Sombr is the indie pop project of Shane Boose, a New York City native raised on the Lower East Side. Developing a love of music at an early age, Boose initially gravitated toward classical. Attending LaGuardia High as a vocal major, he assembled a home studio in his bedroom when he was 14 years old, then set about writing and recording music under the name Sombr.

It didn't take long for Sombr to garner attention. "Caroline" went viral on social media in 2020, leading them to release a series of singles in 2021 and 2022 including "Caroline," "Nothing Left to Say," "Fine," "Through it All," and "Willow." Those early tunes attracted the interest of Warner, who signed him to a contract in January 2023. "Weak" appeared after the ink was dry, followed swiftly by "Alibi," "Never Find U," "Silhouette," and "My House Is Warm." Many of these also appeared on In Another Life, the September 2023 EP he recorded in Los Angeles with Tony Berg, a producer who had recently collaborated with Phoebe Bridgers and her supergroup Boygenius.

Sombr capitalized on the momentum of In Another Life by releasing "Would've Been You" and "I Don't Know You Anymore" by the end of 2023; he opened 2024 with "In Your Arms." He garnered yet wider attention with his 2025 Tony Berg-co-produced single "Undressed," which went viral on TikTok and reached 84 on Billboard's Hot 100. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine