“The guitars, bass, drums, and vocals all stand out in the song playing now.”
Creating a breakthrough hit is an impressive feat, but having two songs go viral at the same time is quite rare. This is the current reality for Sombr in 2025. With the release of “Back To Friends” at the beginning of the year, he followed up with “Undressed,” which both gained popularity on TikTok and climbed the global streaming charts.
Speaking recently to Music Week, Sombr, also known as 20-year-old Shane Michael Boose, shared that his success with these songs came from following what he believes to be a winning formula. Reflecting on what constitutes a “legendary indie rock song,” he mentions elements such as impactful drums, strong melodies, a memorable chorus, and a bridge. This reference point guided his creation of “Back To Friends” and “Undressed” as well as his future projects.
Boose reveals that “Undressed” was actually the first song he wrote in 2025. The initial success of “Back To Friends” boosted his confidence and creative drive, inspiring him to create another hit. He recalls that the song came together in just one evening in his home studio in LA. Starting his music-making journey in GarageBand and advancing to Logic Pro, Boose has developed a tried-and-tested workflow for his production process.
His approach typically involves starting with a drum groove as the foundation before adding in guitar or piano. For “Undressed,” he relied on his Gibson Les Paul guitar, experimenting with melodies until he landed on the one heard in the intro. Boose emphasizes that he structures his songwriting process around the chorus, noting that he jots down ideas in a notepad and improvises the verses over the instrumental loop. With a burst of creativity, he even released an unfinished version of “Undressed” almost immediately.
On the creation of the song, Boose mentions, “On that first day working on it, I wrote the verses, choruses and I posted it on the internet. It became my most viral snippet leak to date. Then the next evening I sat down for 15 minutes and wrote the bridge – which is often the final thing I write in a song. At that point, I had the bare bones of the song done and recorded; in the actual song you hear today, the guitars, the riff, the bass, the drums and all the vocals are from those initial takes I did in my bedroom.”
Boose’s dedication to his craft and his ability to create infectious and compelling music from the comfort of his home showcase the power of creativity and passion in the world of music.