Sombr has put his own spin on Olivia Dean’s Hottest 100-winning song “Man I Need,” delivering a fuzzy, indie-leaning cover for triple j’s long-running Like a Version series.
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The 20-year-old artist tackled the tr in-studio alongside his band, just one week after landing inside the Top 10 of Australia’s annual Hottest 100 countdown himself. Introducing the cover, sombr praised Dean as “a really inspiring and incredible artist,” adding that the song immediately stood out to him.
“It feels so timeless and I love the production, I love the lyrics,” he said. “Everything about it. Amazing.”
Originally released by Dean in 2024, “Man I Need” was crowned No. 1 in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2025, marking one of the year’s most talked-about wins. Sombr’s rendition strips the track back emotionally while reshaping it sonically, layering distorted vocals and a driving indie-rock pulse over the song’s core melody.
The Like a Version appearance marks sombr’s debut on the platform and arrives during a breakout period for the New York–based artist. Known for blending alt-pop and indie rock with diaristic, emotionally raw songwriting, sombr has quickly built momentum over the past year with a run of globally resonant releases.
In 2025, he released his debut studio album I Barely Know Her, a 10-track project co-produced with Tony Berg that explored themes of heartbreak, longing and life in New York City. The album included several of his biggest tracks to date, including “Back to Friends,” which became his breakout global hit and charted on the Billboard Hot 100, “Undressed,” which topped charts in multiple countries, and “12 to 12,” which finished at No. 8 in the Hottest 100.
His rising profile has also been reflected on the awards circuit, with nominations at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative, alongside a growing slate of high-profile live performances.
