Can you really go back to being “just friends”?

In this episode Joe and Toby dig into “Back to Friends” by rising artist sombr, unpacking why this deceptively simple breakup song hits such a deep nerve. What starts as a discussion about a chart-climbing track quickly becomes a wide-ranging conversation about relationships, emotional maturity, artistic process, and the strange pressures of blowing up at twenty years old.

Joe and Toby explore the universal tension at the heart of the song: the moment when intimacy ends, but connection hasn’t fully let go. Drawing from personal stories, they reflect on why “staying friends” so often fails, how nostalgia and comfort can keep people stuck, and why distance is sometimes the healthiest form of closure .

The conversation also dives into sombr’s rapid rise, songwriting process, and creative discipline. From bedroom production to viral moments, they examine what it takes to build authentic music in the TikTok era, while pushing back on lazy “nepo baby” narratives and discussing the difference between criticism and performative hate .

Along the way, the episode expands into thoughtful territory: the dopamine loop of outrage culture, scarcity vs. abundance mindsets in creativity, the value of repetition and throwing work away, and how artists evolve once their early heartbreak stories have been told.

As always, Riffs on Riffs blends humor, honesty, and musical curiosity, closing with listener recommendations and reflections on what it means to grow up, move on, and keep writing anyway.

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