Whenever my mom comes to visit me in the city, she instinctively reverts to her smalltown-friendliness demeanor when we’re out walking, saying “hi” to everyone we pass. I don’t know how to tell her this, but you’re not supposed to do that. See, in a city, you’re supposed to pretend that no one else exists; the trick is to slyly get a peek at the person walking toward you on an otherwise completely empty city block while they’re still far away to gather whether or not they’re one of the twenty-something people in the entire city who you know, and then proceed to pass them by staring straight ahead as if your neck is locked in place.
It’s this unspoken phenomenon that Pompey addresses in “Surrounded,” the latest dispatch from his forthcoming album I’m Scared, named for the song that proved a smash hit on TikTok before he even released it. With his blend of Cat Stevens folkiness and a more contemporary, Kimya Dawson–esque outsider sensibility, the tune feels like a natural companion for deeply lonely walks while unwittingly immersed in a community. “We’re constantly surrounded by people who we try to pretend don’t exist,” the songwriter shares. “We like to think of ourselves as independent, but then so many people choose to live in giant communities (cities) where we’re stacked on top of each other, but we don’t think of or even acknowledge the neighbors we see every day for years. Also, I’m saying ‘we’ but really I’m talking about myself and wondering if maybe this is relatable?”
Yes it is! Check out a lyric video below, and stream the single here.
