Bobby Freemont – Somewhere by a Lake (2025)
It’s not often that a single feels like a seven-year exhale, but Bobby Freemont’s ‘Somewhere by a Lake’ lands with precisely that quiet gravity. It’s a release that has clearly taken its time, not just in production, but in the internal recalibration of its creator. And the outcome feels both heavy and weightless, a hushed reckoning that speaks volumes.
First penned in 2018 during a particularly fraught period in Freemont’s life, ‘Somewhere by a Lake’ was born out of a craving for stillness. But what makes it land isn’t just the emotional root of the song; it’s how those emotions are dressed in sound. There’s a strange, tender clarity to it. Soft piano lines meander beside soulful chords, and a restrained rhythm section allows the track to breathe. Freemont’s voice, intimate and unhurried, carries the story like a whispered confession.
Fremont doesn’t posture or overreach in the lyricism. The song is driven by simple images: the water, the quiet, the growing space between the life he wanted and the one he was living. “I kept having these thoughts about moving far away from it all,” he recalls, and the song never lets you forget it. There’s a palpable ache in every word, a sense of a man staring at a horizon he’s not quite ready to cross.
Nick Ferraro’s involvement adds weight without overcrowding. Known for his work with Kali Uchis and SiR, Ferraro understands how to elevate a song without sanding down its edges. Here, his influence is felt in the subtle layering, warm guitar tones, gospel-tinged harmonies, and a hint of vintage soul that recalls early Frank Ocean or even Donny Hathaway at his most introspective. The result is understated but lush, the kind of production that rewards repeat listens.
What’s striking is how little ‘Somewhere by a Lake’ tries to be anything but itself. It doesn’t chase a sound or a posture for playlists. Instead, it sits with its discomfort, its hope, and its longing. Freemont isn’t selling escapism, he’s exploring the tension between staying and going, between romanticising peace and actually achieving it.
As the third single from his forthcoming debut, The Death of Bobby Freemont, it offers a clear thematic signpost for what’s to come. If the album title suggests rebirth or reinvention, ‘Somewhere by a Lake’ feels like the moment before the transformation – that deep breath before the plunge. It’s reflective, maybe even hesitant, but entirely human.
Find out more about Bobby Freemont on his official website, Instagram and Spotify.
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