The Wombats have always been a rather unusual entity in the indie music scene. Sonically, they fit perfectly with their angst-ridden punk band peers, but lyrically, there was always an admirable level of irreverence that displayed a sanguine sense of humour. As their sound goes, their sonic bark has always been a little more ferocious than their lyrical bite, which isn’t always a bad thing.
Continuing the more polished direction of their second album “This Modern Glitch”, the Liverpudlians’ new album “Glitterbug” is their most pristinely-produced effort to date, combining a fresh take of effervescent and euphoric indie-pop with lead vocalist Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy’s tongue-in-cheek personality to create a carefree collection of songs crafted for the approaching summer heat-waves.
The album’s first offering is the bitter-sweet ‘Emoticons’. Fusing the laid back synths of Passion Pit with the off-kilter guitars of The Strokes. Beneath the song’s relaxed nature, lies Murph observing how technology affects the modern-age romance, how instead of face to face honesty, people have become reliant on using texts and emoticons as masks for one’s true feelings.
‘Give Me a Try’ is a top-down Sunday drive that’s been touched by the California sun. Hook-heavy and radio-ready, it has a relentless feel-good factor that disguises Murph’s words of loneliness during the time of separation in a long distance relationship. ‘Greek Tragedy’ is an anthemic exploration of a fervid relationship layered with flourishes of strings inspired by Grecian Folk music.
The masochism of the lyrics lurking in ‘Be Your Shadow’ is betrayed by the music’s Bastille-infused energy. The track is incredibly sleek and the chorus is so heavily addictive, you won’t even notice yourself singing “Kiss me with your fist it’s alright, Wrap your hands around my throat I won’t mind”. The blood of the 1980’s courses through the veins of ‘Headspace’ and ‘This Is Not a Party’. While the former is a warm and sparkling mid-tempo number about unwanted obsession, the latter is a musical tempest of synths and golden smiles.
The album’s energy is completely reworked on the arrival of the ballad ‘Isabel’, a minimalist diamond that shimmers with it’s gentle electronic percussion and soft-crying synth textures. ’Your Body is a Weapon’s wild rhythms instantly rejig the euphoric energy and sets up a section of nods to the bands earlier post-punk works with ‘The English Summer’ and ‘Pink Lemonade’. ‘Your Body…’ and ‘The English Summer’ are a reflection of the band’s rock-oriented tones that act as turbulent waves when coming off the back of the extravagent electronics that lace the album’s first half together so wonderfully. ‘Pink Lemonade’ however, while still a strange creature in context of “Glitterbug”, does have an easier time fitting in with the album’s vibe and actually proves itself an unexpected gem with it’s summer-afternoon-in-the-park-with-your-friends tone.
The album winds out nice and evenly with closing track ‘Curveballs’. The track follows a similar trend to ‘Headspace’; a smooth and stylish musical skeleton that points your attention to Murph’s intelligent and unique songwriting.
When listening to “Glitterbug” in bits and pieces, it can feel like an unfulfilling experience, but when listened to as a full album, you can appreciate it’s character and flavour. Ardent listeners of the band may have trouble digesting the euphoric polish and gloss of “Glitterbug” at first, but the songwriting and infectious charm of the trio will soon help the album’s hooks worm their way into bloodstreams worldwide.
Download “Glitterbug” from iTunes here.
Watch the video for ‘Give Me a Try’ below.
Follow The Wombats online here.