Recommended Tracks: “If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You”, “This Car Drives All by Itself”, Everything I Love Is Going to Die”, “Wildfire”
Artists You May Like: Two Door Cinema Club, Circa Waves, Vampire Weekend
It’s 2022 and the English indie rock veterans The Wombats are still here and producing absolute jams. This Liverpool trio has now been a band for 19 years, and they’ve outlasted a lot of their counterparts to deliver hits in the ‘00s, ‘10s, and now the ‘20s. It has been nearly four years since the guys have released a full-length LP and they are back with their fifth studio project, Fix Yourself, Not the World. This brand new album features 12 tracks, with 4 singles released prior to the rest of the LP.
Up until this point, The Wombats have stayed true to themselves in their sound without straying too far from what has brought them to be a household name in the alternative-indie sphere. Fix Yourself, Not the World follows this ideal and offers us a new iteration of the band’s sound. At the helm is once again frontman Matthew Murphy and his unmistakable vocal tone and accent. Everything we have come to love from his sound is here in full force on Fix Yourself, Not the World. This album hits a lot of marks on the alternative perspective, yet nothing surprised me as any sort of major stylistic departure. We’ve seen The Wombats try different instrumental experimentation over the years and on this latest LP, they have found a nice balance of guitar rhythms, memorable basslines, catchy rock beats and tasteful synths to accent it all. The guitar and bass are at the forefront throughout. The Wombats aren’t trying to be anyone else but themselves and it’s admirable.
If there is one track that stands out and could stay in the band’s setlist for years to come it’d have to be “If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming with You.” This was the second single to be released leading up to the full project. It harkens back to some of their best, upbeat songs of the past four albums.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fe7lmZH7iw
Upon a first full listen of the whole album, there are a few other tracks that I find myself going back to. One of them is the second track, “This Car Drives All by Itself.” Thematically, this track spells out one of the themes throughout the album that we as people are not in control of what’s going to happen in the world. I love how the existential meaning contrasts with the upbeat sound — almost like one of their first hits, “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofaBaqb469M&t=2s
The next track that stands out is the final single, “Everything I Love Is Going to Die.” This is one of the more well-put-together songs in the album. It features a punchy bassline that grooves through the verses before you are hit with the most memorable chorus on the record. Although the title is inherently negative and dark, it offers a good message in that we should live in the moment and appreciate what’s most important.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PQi_iwwFB8
A personal favorite album track is “Wildfire. “This one is definitely a breath of fresh air in the latter half of the album. This track has the strongest use of guitar that stands out with dynamic tone of the verse chords. That’s followed up by a very catchy chorus melody that plays perfectly with the rest of the soundscape. Overall, “Wildfire” packs the most punch in comparison to the rest of the album. As some of the tones in this record tend to blend together, “Wildfire” breaks through the barrier.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BPfaK0gog8
Catch your favorites from the new album on the Wombats tour of North America that kicks off January 20th in Washington D.C.
JANUARY 2022
20 Washington, DC- 9:30 Club
21 Washington, DC- 9:30 Club
22 Philadelphia, PA- The Fillmore Philadelphia
25 New York City, NY- Terminal 5
26 Boston, MA- House of Blues – Boston
28 Albany, NY- Empire Live
29 Newport, KY- PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION
31 Detroit, MI- St. Andrew’s Hall
FEBRUARY 2022
1 Columbus, OH- Newport Music Hall
3 Chicago, IL- Park West
4 Minneapolis, MN- Fillmore
5 Kansas City, MO- The Truman
7 Nashville, TN- Cannery Ballroom
8 Atlanta, GA- Buckhead Theatre
10 Houston, TX- House of Blues
11 Austin, TX- Emo’s Austin
12 Dallas, TX- House of Blues
14 Denver, CO- Ogden Theatre
15 Salt Lake City, UT- Union Event Center (The Union)
17 Seattle, WA- The Showbox
19 Portland, OR- Revolution Hall
21 San Francisco, CA- The Regency Ballroom
22 Santa Ana, CA- The Observatory
25 Los Angeles, CA- The Wiltern
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