How to Produce Dreamy Indie Pop Like SOMBR
How to Produce Dreamy Indie Pop Like SOMBR (Drums, Bass, Keys & Vocals)
Ever finish a track that’s technically solid—clean mix, tidy arrangement, well-recorded vocals—but it still feels flat and emotionless?
You’re not alone.
In this breakdown, we’ll reverse-engineer the dreamy indie pop vibe of SOMBR’s “Back to Friends” and walk through practical ways to inject emotion into your productions using drums, bass, keys, guitars, and vocals.
Instead of chasing exact presets or copying a session, this guide will help you understand why certain choices create that nostalgic, hazy, emotional indie pop sound—so you can apply the same principles to your own music.
Table of Contents
What Makes Dreamy Indie Pop Feel Emotional?
Step 1 – Humanize Your Indie Pop Drums
Loosen Your Quantization
Layer Acoustic Drums With Loops
Shape Drum Tone With Saturation and Reverb
Step 2 – Give Your Bass Weight and Warmth
Step 3 – Add Emotion With Keys and Guitars
Layer Pianos and Add Echo Modulation
Use Guitars for Movement and Atmosphere
Step 4 – Build Wide, Lush Indie Pop Vocals
Nail the Performance First
Stack Harmonies Intelligently
Place Vocals in a Dreamy Space
Putting It All Together in the Mix
Want Help Producing Indie Pop You’re Proud Of?
Indie Pop Production FAQ
What Makes Dreamy Indie Pop Feel Emotional?
In tracks like SOMBR’s “Back to Friends”, the emotional impact doesn’t come from complex harmony or flashy sound design—it comes from:
Human-feeling drums (slightly loose, textured, not “perfect”)
Warm, supportive bass that fills out the low-end without overpowering
Pianos and guitars that feel washed, nostalgic, and slightly unstable (in a good way)
Layered vocals that feel intimate up front, with choirs and harmonies floating behind
The goal isn’t to clone SOMBR’s exact sound—it’s to understand the emotional mechanics behind those choices so your own demos stop feeling sterile.
Pro Tip from Grammy-winning producer Ivan Corraliza:
Don’t ask, “What preset did they use?” Ask, “What emotion is this sound delivering—and how can I recreate that emotion with the tools I already have?”
Step 1 – Humanize Your Indie Pop Drums
Most indie pop drum parts fall apart emotionally when they’re too quantized, too clean, or too “sample pack demo.”
In the SOMBR-inspired session, the core kit was built with Addictive Drums 2 (Vintage Dead kit) and then pushed to feel human, textured, and slightly behind the beat.
Loosen Your Quantization
Start with your main kit pattern, then stop treating the grid like a prison.
Keep the kick mostly locked to the grid (it anchors the groove).
Loosen the snare and hi-hats:
Nudge some hits slightly ahead or behind the beat.
Vary velocities so no two hits feel identical.
You don’t want chaos—you want micro-imperfections that suggest a real player, not a robot.
Pro Tip from Ivan:
Program your groove “too perfect,” then spend 5–10 minutes de-perfecting it. Those tiny nudges off the grid can do more for emotion than any plugin.
Layer Acoustic Drums With Loops
Technically, a single kit can work—but it might not feel alive.
To add character and vibe:
Find a loop (from Splice, breakbeats, etc.) with a similar rhythm or feel.
EQ out the low-end (especially any 808s or kicks) so it doesn’t fight your main kit.
Use sidechain compression:
Set your main drum kit as the sidechain source.
Use a low-pass on the detector so only low/mid energy ducks the loop.
Result: the loop breathes around your main drums instead of muddying them.
Then, chop the loop in your arrangement so it reinforces your pattern—rather than fighting it.
Pro Tip from Ivan:
Think of loops as “texture layers,” not the star of the show. If you solo the loop and it sounds too big, that’s fine. In context, it should just add grit, shuffle, and air.
Shape Drum Tone With Saturation and Reverb
Emotion = tone + space.
On the drum bus:
Add saturation/distortion (e.g., Ableton’s Drum Buss plus a secondary saturation plugin):
Increase Drive and Crunch to taste.
Use a Damp or low-pass control to tame harsh highs.
Add an EQ after saturation:
Roll off harsh top-end.
Focus the drums into a warmer, less aggressive character.
For space:
Send the drums to a chamber reverb or room-style verb.
High-pass the reverb return (remove low-end mud).
Shorten decay to avoid washing everything out.
This pushes the kit slightly back in the mix and creates that dreamy, distant drum picture that’s so common in indie pop.
Pro Tip from Ivan:
The drier the drums, the closer they feel. If you want dreamy, push them back with reverb—but always EQ that reverb or your mix will turn to soup.
Step 2 – Give Your Bass Weight and Warmth
A simple bass line can carry a lot of emotional weight—if it feels present.
In the SOMBR-inspired session, the bass part itself was straightforward, but the raw recording lacked low-end authority.
Two key moves:
Subtle EQ
Clean up any mud or harsh midrange.
But don’t overthink it—sometimes less is more.
Use Harmonic Enhancers, Not Just EQ
Instead of just boosting lows with EQ, use a plugin that adds harmonic content (like Waves R-Bass or another low-end enhancer).
This helps the bass translate on small speakers and feel round and full in the mix.
Pro Tip from Ivan:
If you’re endlessly boosting low-end with EQ and it still feels weak, stop. Swap to a harmonic enhancer. It’s often the missing link between “I can’t feel the bass” and “Oh, there it is.”
Step 3 – Add Emotion With Keys and Guitars
Your chords and melodies may be right, but the emotion often comes from how you present them.
Layer Pianos and Add Echo Modulation
A single piano patch can sound flat and “MIDI-ish.” Instead, layer contrasting characters.
In this session:
Piano 1: Studio grand (Addictive Keys)
Piano 2: Modern upright (Addictive Keys)
Pan them slightly left and right, then group them into a bus.
On the piano bus:
Add a delay/echo (e.g., Ableton’s Echo):
Set delay time to a dotted eighth note.
Push modulation on the delayed signal (e.g., Mod = 20–30+).
Adjust wet/dry to taste.
This introduces slight pitch and timing instability on the repeats, which feels emotional and cinematic.
Pro Tip from Ivan:
Modulating the delay—not the main signal—adds drama without ruining your core performance. It’s a cheat code for “emotional pianos.”
Use Guitars for Movement and Atmosphere
You don’t need to be a virtuoso guitarist. Even simple parts can do a ton of emotional heavy lifting:
Record a basic electric guitar part.
Run it through an amp sim that gives you a bit of crunch and top-end bite.
Use an EQ (like the Maag EQ) to add air and brighten the tone.
Add sidechain-style movement using a plugin like Kickstart or a rhythmic volume shaper:
This pumps the guitar subtly and gives the track a sense of motion.
Then, layer a second guitar source—like Native Instruments’ Strummed Electric—treated with:
A washed-out reverb pedal emulation (e.g., Safari Pedals’ Flamingo Verb)
A bit of drive
Longer decay and lower volume, tucked behind the main guitar
Think of it like this:
Front guitar = body + definition
Back guitar = mystery + emotion
Pro Tip from Ivan:
When layering guitars, decide which one is the “face” and which one is the “shadow.” The shadow should feel smeared, washed, and atmospheric—not competing for clarity.
Step 4 – Build Wide, Lush Indie Pop Vocals
In indie pop, vocals are king. If the vocal doesn’t feel emotional, no amount of drum or synth work will fix it.
Nail the Performance First
Before plugins and chains:
Focus on delivery, timing, and attitude.
Match the timbre and feel of the reference:
Are the vocals soft and intimate?
Are they slightly lazy behind the beat?
Is there a breathy texture?
The “dying giraffe” moments (those risky higher notes or emotional inflections) are often the ones that give the track its humanity.
Pro Tip from Ivan:
There’s no plugin for emotion. If the performance doesn’t carry the story, no tuning or compression will rescue it.
Stack Harmonies Intelligently
To create a choir-like, emotional indie pop vocal bed:
Record multiple takes of the same harmony line.
For a key harmony: record it four times.
Pan: hard left, hard right, then mid-left and mid-right if needed.
For other harmonies:
Sometimes two takes (L/R) are enough if the voicing naturally cuts through.
Group each harmony type into its own bus:
Harmony 1 (4-stack)
Harmony 2 (2-stack)
Harmony 3 (lower or upper stack)
Then, balance each group:
Use volume to decide which harmony leads and which ones just add body.
You don’t need all layers equally loud—think of them as a choir where some voices blend into the background.
Place Vocals in a Dreamy Space
To achieve that throwback, vintage, indie pop vocal space:
Create reverb sends:
Spring-style reverb (e.g., Arturia Spring 636):
100% wet on the return.
Long decay.
Stereo mode enabled.
Lush digital reverb (e.g., Valhalla VintageVerb with a room or plate setting).
Send harmonies heavily to the spring reverb and blend some of the digital verb.
Keep the lead vocals drier:
They should sit more upfront.
Add doubles with heavier reverb to sit behind the main lead.
On the processing side for lead vocals:
Tuning (subtle, genre-appropriate).
EQ to shape the tone and remove mud.
Compression (e.g., LA-2A style) to even out peaks.
De-essing to tame sibilance.
Optional extra compression/sweetening (like Matthew Lane’s T.I.K.O. or similar) to add air and contour.
On the vocal bus:
Add tape saturation for glue.
Slight EQ to fit the vocals into the overall mix tone.
Pro Tip from Ivan:
The more you send something to reverb, the further back it feels. Use reverb not just as an effect—but as a way to place elements in 3D space.
Putting It All Together in the Mix
When you step back and listen to the full track:
The drums feel human, warm, and slightly distant.
The bass supports without overpowering, with harmonics that make it felt on smaller speakers.
The keys and guitars create a lush, drifting bed of harmony that feels emotional even with simple parts.
The vocals sit upfront but surrounded by layers, harmonies, and verb that give the track its dreamy, nostalgic character.
That’s the core of emotional indie pop production:
Not complexity—but intentional choices in performance, tone, space, and layering.
Want Help Producing Indie Pop You’re Proud Of?
If you’re serious about producing music you can be genuinely proud of—and you don’t want to waste years guessing your way through—
I run an exclusive mentorship program where I:
Work directly with a small group of artists and producers
Help you produce more confidently
Build a clear roadmap for your music career
And shorten the time it takes to go from idea → finished, release-ready song
👉 Apply to work with me here:
[[Link: Mentorship Application]]
If you’re not ready for mentorship yet but want to start sharpening your skills:
👉 Grab my free Hit-Maker Starter Kit:
[[Link: Hit-Maker Starter Kit]]
You’ll get free resources to help you finish more music and improve your productions right away.
Indie Pop Production FAQ
1. How do I make my indie pop drums feel more human?
Loosen your snare and hi-hat timing, vary velocities, and layer a textured drum loop underneath your main kit. Use sidechain compression so the loop ducks around your main drums and feels like a cohesive groove rather than a mess.
2. How do I get that dreamy indie pop piano sound?
Layer two different pianos (e.g., studio grand + upright), pan them slightly left and right, then add a modulated echo on the group. Use a dotted-eighth delay with pitch modulation on the repeats to add drama and emotional instability.
3. What’s the best way to layer indie pop guitars?
Use one guitar for clarity and body (through an amp sim + EQ), and another for texture and atmosphere (through a reverb/drive pedal-style plugin). Tuck the atmospheric layer behind the main guitar so it supports without cluttering.
4. How many vocal stacks should I record for indie pop harmonies?
Start with 4 takes for your main, supportive harmony (panned wide), and 2 takes for harmonies that naturally cut. Group and control them from buses so you can easily balance the choir-like bed under the lead.
5. How do I keep my dreamy mix from turning muddy?
Use high-pass filters on reverb returns, avoid boosting low-end on everything, and lean on harmonic enhancement rather than huge low-end EQ boosts. Always listen in context—not in solo—when shaping tone.
